


Glass Feather

by shinigami_yumi



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Action/Adventure, Complete, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Post-Game(s), Romance, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-06
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2017-11-06 08:29:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 49,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/416804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinigami_yumi/pseuds/shinigami_yumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after their Game, Neku and Joshua meet again. Neku wants answers. Joshua decides to indulge him...conditionally, of course. But when new enemies surface and things go awry, Neku gets caught up in a battle to keep Joshua as Composer...and alive.</p><p>A lovely person, <a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/u/4815893/">yuuchan</a> has translated this fic into Chinese! You will find it <a href="http://tieba.baidu.com/p/2440704362">here</a> with some accompanying artwork from various sources. I've obtained the permission to post several of the artworks here, so I have inserted and credited the artists in the manner of their choosing accordingly. </p><p>Oh my God, yuuchan also made a visual novel flash game in Chinese. Check it out <a href="http://www.66rpg.com/Game/3168">here</a> and leave her a ton of great feedback because it is AMAZING. O__O</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It’s All Fun and Games

**Author's Note:**

> Most of this fic is un-beta-ed, so if you spot any mistakes, please point them out.
> 
> It is also full of spoilers for the whole game and Secret Reports, Joshua being insufferable and blatantly flirtatious, possibly awkward battle scenes, a slew of OCs to fulfill roles in the plot that existing characters can't, potentially obscure metaphors/symbolism/double entendres/implications/references, my interpretation of the world of TWEWY and my theories on anything not explicitly stated in canon. I can't think of any other warnings.
> 
> In keeping with the setting of the game itself, any landmarks not mentioned in the game really exist in Japan and are used with a name change. I looked at map(s) while writing this, but if I made any errors, do let me know.
> 
>  _Italicized text_ denote thoughts.
> 
>  
> 
>  **Disclaimer for the whole story:** I do not own The World Ends With You (Subarashiki Kono Sekai) and its characters. I make no money from writing this.

Sakuraba Neku thought he’d seen the last of Kiryuu Yoshiya when the Composer had shot him at the end of his third Game, so among the last things he expected was to run into Joshua, of all places, in the very crowded Ramen Don during lunch hour. The silver-haired boy was all long willowy limbs and designer clothing where he sat in an elegant pose at a small table in the back, looking for all the world like the wealthy pompous snot he probably had been as a human. The few times they had gone shopping during their week together had left him wondering what anyone could possibly put into clothing for it to be that expensive as he winced at every price tag. He’d thought Shiki was bad, but at least her tastes didn’t round up to a minimum of six figures per item. Joshua was just…well, Joshua. If there existed a better word to wholly describe the Composer of Shibuya, it had yet to be Imagined.

A year had passed since they’d last met, but it might very well have been just yesterday, and he felt no less conflicted than he had back when they’d faced each other with a gun in hand. He wanted to forgive him; he trusted his former Partner, and more importantly, Joshua had been a friend; even with a sync rate in the proverbial negative, they’d shared a kind of understanding, and that was more than he could say for even Shiki, who would always be his first and best friend. He’d have forgiven Joshua without a thought…if only the Composer had shown even the slightest hint of regret or remorse, but no, he just stood there with his finger on the trigger of the smoking revolver and laughed. As he didn’t feel like dealing with a particular demigod if it didn’t involve strangulation, the idea of heading elsewhere for lunch was beginning to sound incredibly appealing. Still…

“Irrasshai! Oh, it’s you! Got done early and came to join your friend?”

Neku cringed internally at Doi Ken’s loud greeting, any intention of escaping unnoticed rendered futile. As if on cue, Joshua waved animatedly at him, that rather effeminate face the picture of cheerfulness.

_Yeah, right,_ he thought darkly, forcing a smile. _It’s not like you see us as people. We’re all just toys to you, like dolls in a dollhouse or pieces on a chessboard. Or maybe we’re like the pins in Tin Pin Slammer, genuinely important only as long as we win for you._

Of course, he’d admit he hadn’t been too different once upon a time, but even at his worst, he hadn’t had Joshua’s callous disregard for human life; at the very least, he wouldn’t shoot someone just to play a game. Even if it were a game that was ultimately for the greater good of all. Sure, he knew Joshua had his reasons, but they were no excuse for shooting strangers with a smile. There was no way that cheery expression was sincere, but because his were a people of strong social conventions, Neku bowed to the proprietor wordlessly and nodded as he warily went to join his “friend.” The owner came to take his order personally, as he always did, chattering away as he contemplated what kind of ramen he’d eat that day.

“Want to try my latest experiment?”

Neku raised an eyebrow at the older man.

“Hey, I still make ramen that makes people happy, but there’s no harm in a little creativity on the side, right? I figure some variety every now and then won’t hurt. I just need to put all my love into every bowl of noodles like I always have,” Ken replied with a wide grin. “So, you up for it?”

“Sure, he’s up for it, mister,” Joshua cut in helpfully.

“Y—I don’t even know what it is!” he protested, forgetting for the moment that he was supposed to be angry at present company.

“It’s what I’m having, dear. For what it’s worth, the broth could use another seasoning or two, but you still have my compliments, mister. The hint of cilantro and basil packs a flavourful punch.”

“Well, well, I’ll take the critique of a connoisseur to heart, my boy!” The ramen master laughed heartily.

“That work for you, Neku?” Joshua asked, turning back to him with a smirk.

“What do you think?! I…I might be allergic to something in there for all you know,” he argued lamely.

“The main difference is I used beef this time, boy. It comes with a juicy sirloin steak on top too,” Ken replied patiently, clearly more amused by the exchange than anything, while the other boy just rolled his eyes in mock exasperation.

“Well, if you are, you’ll have me to rush you to the hospital and sob at your bedside until your immune system calms down, dear.”

“If you’re going to be reassuring, you could try putting some heart into it,” Neku retorted, crossing his arms in annoyance.

“You simply can’t sense all the heart I’ve put into it because it’s above the range of your limited perception, Neku.”

“More like it’s not coming across because sincerity is above the range of your limited capacity for expression, Josh,” he snapped rather nastily.

There was a flash of something alien in pale lilac eyes before the glitter of amusement slid back into place, making Neku wonder if it had been simply his imagination. “You’re just upset because I always beat you at Tin Pin, dear.”

_That’s not...wait, that’s not even what he’s talking about,_ he thought bitterly, remembering. This was an act for the benefit of their acquaintances who didn’t know all the details of their Game.

“In any case, you can try mine before ordering it if it helps,” Joshua continued without missing a beat, pushing his bowl across the table helpfully.

Neku considered refusing, but thought better of it; they’d already pretended this long, after all.

“Ah, I was wondering when you two would drop by together again. You always seemed so close. You’d come in together, leave together, order for each other, quibble like people who’ve known each other forever, use the same chopsticks…”

Neku choked on his spoonful of noodles at Ken’s remark. He heard the girls at the next table snickering excitedly and blamed Joshua for everything. If he hadn’t been chosen as the other’s ‘dear, dear partner,’ they wouldn’t have had to go everywhere together. If Joshua had just shut up and let him choose his own meals, they wouldn’t have done any ordering for each other. “Bloody fujoshis,” he muttered under his breath, wishing he’d never gone along with the other’s pretence of their still being on good terms. The silver-haired boy’s appearance and manner weren’t helping any. The fact that he admittedly looked better than even Eri in EGL probably gave people ideas. Across from him, his former Partner laughed in that way that was distinctly Joshua, the one that was somewhere between a giggle and a devious chuckle – as if he understood amusement, but didn’t know how to properly express it in human terms.

Ken, seemingly oblivious of his embarrassment or the surrounding fangirls, continued, “But these days, he keeps saying you’re busy, and you keep saying he’s out of town…”

“Sure, I’ll take your latest specialty, extra steak,” Neku interrupted pointedly with a forced smile, pushing the bowl back across the table.

“You got it!” The older man left to prepare the noodles as Joshua smirked and resumed eating.

Left alone with a certain demigod now to wait for his lunch, he found himself staring at Shibuya’s Composer. That unchanged appearance and smug expression taunted him in a poignant reminder of how his former Partner had killed him and tormented him for the longest three weeks of his…well, death. He’d tried to put it behind him, scanning the crowd for that familiar face every time he met up with his friends, even spending an extra few minutes chatting with them at Hachiko in hopes that Joshua would show up. Perhaps if he had and they’d spent some time together as real friends, it would have been easier. But Joshua never came, and as the few good memories of their acquaintance dimmed into the past, he was left with nothing but that empty sense of unfading bitterness that he couldn’t seem to truly forget or let go of.

“See something you like?” The other had even got that tentatively flirtatious tone down pat, but maybe Neku was prejudiced in thinking that the whole look didn’t quite fit.

Still, “Assuming people glare at the things they like, I might have to say yes,” he riposted swiftly.

Joshua simply laughed. “How charming. Good to know we’re on the same page, dear.”

Neku opened his mouth to make an unpleasantly snarky reply, but restrained himself; the other was baiting him as usual, and he wasn’t falling for it this time. Some days, he wished he’d actually shot Joshua at the end. Only the Composer could possibly act like nothing had changed after everything that happened. Only this former Partner of his could repeatedly visit the RealGround without so much as saying hi. Only Joshua could pretend to die protecting him just to win him over completely and make the betrayal hurt that much more later. Only Joshua. And now they were sitting here having lunch together like the old friends they’d never been. He wondered what Joshua wanted after an entire year without contact; he wouldn’t put it past the devious Composer to imprint the idea of coming here for lunch upon him so that they’d run into each other in seeming coincidence.

“I wouldn’t, Neku. Hee hee. Such a high opinion you have of me.”

“You… Are you scanning me?” No, he wouldn’t punch a demigod in a ramen joint. The shop would suffer more than his target, and it was rarely worth the trouble.

Joshua giggled. “And you call me Captain Obvious.”

_Here we go again._ He crossed his arms and pretended he could see a fascinating pattern on the tiled floor. “Fine. Hats off to the actor extraordinaire, Josh. Why not just tell him we haven’t spoken in a year?”

“Looks to me like you never told him either.”

“I’m not the one that has a problem here.”

“Hee hee. Aren’t you?”

“Are you incapable of giving a straight answer?”

“Were you happy the last time I did?”

Neku looked up sharply at that to find Joshua looking at him with an expression that he had never seen before and couldn’t decipher. He tried to bore into pale lilac eyes with his glare, but to his surprise, Joshua quickly looked away. Thrown off, he suddenly wasn’t sure what to say.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” he asked after a moment, steering the conversation back into familiar waters.

“Doing what, Neku?” This was the Joshua he knew, all feigned innocence, arrogant nonchalance and smooth deviousness.

“Being insufferable.” He’d waited a long time to say so plainly.

The other laughed. “Sharp as ever, I see.”

“You little…” No, he’d at least wait till they were outside to pick a fight. He inhaled a deep, calming breath. “What do you want, Josh?”

That familiar bemused innocent blink. “I beg your pardon?”

“Why are you here?”

“Hmm… I like ramen; you know that, Neku. I really don’t lie for no reason.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it, Josh. Drop it.”

Joshua let out a longsuffering sigh, twirling a lock of his silver hair around his finger. “Neku, I’m the Composer. This is my city. I often visit to see things for myself. Is that really so extraordinary?”

It wasn’t that it was extraordinary; it was that Kiryuu Yoshiya never said or did anything without a motive. If he was here to look around, there was probably something specific he wanted to see. If they ran into each other somewhere random, it probably wasn’t coincidental.

“Tsk, how charitable of you, dear.” The amused tone was back full force beneath the veil of chagrin. “You don’t believe me even when I’m telling the truth. How could you, after all that quality time we spent together?” the Composer lamented theatrically, fishing out his cellphone as he rose to his feet and flipping it open as if he were going to call his mother-in-law to complain about how his spouse was treating him. Instead, he simply pressed a few keys and flipped it shut before slipping it back into his pocket. “Well then, Neku, I must be going. Enjoy your lunch, dear~” he sang, heading for the entrance.

Neku was out of his chair and grabbing Joshua by the collar before he’d even realized he’d moved. So much for not causing a scene.

“What do you want, Neku?” his former Partner echoed his earlier question with a slight smirk.

Neku thought to answer, but no words came. What indeed did he want? Yet, after all this time, was he really about to let the prick walk out nonchalantly just like this?

As his proxy struggled internally to come up with an answer, Joshua absently picked up on a stray observation among the other customers. They really were quite close. Rather conveniently so, he might add, for an excellent distraction. Stifling a giggle, he tilted his head just that little bit up, sideways and back to brush his lips against Neku’s slightly parted ones in a brief kiss as he gently pried the other’s fingers off his Pegaso button-down, tracing the boy’s bottom lip lightly with his tongue before pulling away. Mm, he could get used to this. The look on Neku’s face was immoderately entertaining. Still holding onto a warm hand, he decided to present his idea while his dear, dear partner’s brain attempted to catch up to the moment through the fog of shock.

“Hm, you want answers, I suppose. Well, why don’t we make it a game? It’ll last for...oh, a week for old times’ sake. If you win, I’ll answer your questions. If I win...I’ll decide what I’d like you to do for me later.”

“What’s the Fee?” Neku asked automatically, clearly still having great difficulty processing reality.

“No, no, nothing like The Game. No Fee. You play if you want to. Don’t worry, even if I win, you won’t die. Or be otherwise dreadfully inconvenienced.” Joshua giggled, releasing his proxy’s hand and walking towards the entrance. “Think about it, dear. Let it marinate. I’ll text you the details tomorrow. That work for you?” he called over his shoulder. “See you soon, dear~” He exited, wiggling his fingers in farewell, without awaiting a reply.

“Y—you..!” Neku spluttered, starting to run after Joshua, when his lunch chose that moment to arrive.

He wanted to protest vehemently. Much more than that, he wanted to punch Joshua’s smug face in. Alternatively, covering his ears and screaming his heart out till he lost his voice was sounding increasingly tempting. Instead, he simply slumped back down into his chair in defeat. He couldn’t deal with Joshua, not alive, not dead, not anywhere in between. He wasn’t even sure what he was angry about anymore. Suddenly, he found himself really missing the headphones he used to wear all the time. Music would have been a pleasant diversion. They would also block out the giggling all around him. Fighting down his embarrassment, he settled for eating his lunch in sullen silence, vowing to make the other pay the next time they met, and dearly.

 

Outside, the Composer of Shibuya turned to take one last look into Ramen Don and couldn’t help giggling as he watched a spluttering Neku’s attempt to chase after him foiled by Doi Ken bringing him his ramen. Perfect timing, of course. As he turned to leave, he caught sight of a youth with messy red hair across the road in the reflection on the shop’s glass display panel. He was dressed in a tight red mesh tank top with a black leather jacket and pants, and even with his iridium-coated shades, Joshua could tell the young man was staring at him. He turned to get a better look, but just then, a bus drove past, and by the time it was no longer obstructing his view, the youth was no longer there.

_Maybe he finished checking me out,_ he decided, beginning his walk back to the River with a casual flick of his hair. _Oh well, it’s not easy being me. On the other hand, breaking the rules keeps getting easier. Hm, that was a nice distraction._


	2. Until Someone Loses an Eye

Neku rolled blearily out of bed to the familiar sound of an electric guitar riff backed by a jazz melody. Picking up the source of the unusually offensive noise, he swore. 9am was way too early to be woken up by a series of text messages on a Sunday. Oh, of course, one couldn’t expect the great Composer to be considerate. Even if the number wouldn’t show, the message’s syntax, lexicon and semantics were unmistakably Joshua’s. The former Player contemplated ignoring the message and going back to sleep till a saner hour, but figured, on second thought, that he may as well read on to see what Joshua wanted first.

“Morning, sunshine! Here’s how our little game works: Everyday, I’ll wait for you someplace.  
Your task is to figure out where that is from the riddle I send you and to go there to find me.  
Since I can’t leave this city, that should be pretty simple for someone who’s ‘Shibuya born and raised,’ hm?  
Here’s today’s clue, an easy one to start:

Not a saunter, not a jog  
Not an amble, not a trot  
Look back on our memory log  
Or give the TV at ten a shot

Think 3 hours is generous enough, Neku? See you at noon, dear!”

Wincing internally at the sound of Joshua’s voice saying the words in his imagination, Neku wondered yet again why he’d agreed to this. Maybe it didn’t matter whether or not he got his answers; the Game was in the past, after all, and he couldn’t deny the good that had come out of it. At least he actually had friends now. Besides, knowing wouldn’t change any facts. Still, he had agreed to it, and for now, it seemed simple and harmless enough to go along with. For now. Nothing was ever simple when it involved Kiryuu Yoshiya; he’d learned that the hard way. Well, at any rate, he was already far too alert to return to bed, so he made his way to the bathroom for a quick shower before returning to puzzling out the riddle on his cellphone.

 _Not a saunter, a jog, an amble or a trot…so it’s related to walking? Possibly a walkway of some sort? Hm… Let’s see… Walkways in Shibuya… That’s not all that helpful. Wait, the TV at ten?_ Neku blinked as he towelled more water out of orange spikes. _What’s on TV at 10am on Sundays? Besides the news, I’m assuming. Guess I’ll head out to check. Not like mom’s around to be woken by the noise._

With that, Neku rose and stepped out to the living room to switch on the television. He was alone in the apartment as usual. His mother was away on another long-haul flight, and he had been five the last time he’d seen his father. It was half past nine; there was time for breakfast before channel surfing. Surveying the options available in the kitchen for several minutes, he finally decided he couldn’t be bothered with anything too complicated and emptied half a pack of frozen gyoza into a pot of boiling water. Ten minutes later, he was sitting on the floor by the coffee table, listening absently to the news as he ate. The crime rate in New York was on the rise; there had been a few skirmishes in some city with a complicated-sounding name in the Middle East; another riot had broken out in Paris; a celebrity he didn’t recognize had been shot in the colourful city of Florence; and an alarming number of babies were turning up in dumpsters in Kuala Lumpur. The former Player switched channels, wondering why reported news was rarely good. It was as if people had a taste for tragedy. At any rate, it was five past ten. Time to see what was on…an anime he hadn’t seen, the weather forecast for the day, the new tokusatsu series he’d heard about in school last week, a cooking programme for housewives, the latest season of Tin Pin Slammurai, local news…

“Wait a minute. That’s it!” Neku exclaimed suddenly. _Tin Pin! He’s at Stride! It’s not a saunter, a jog, an amble or a trot, but a stride!_

Eager now that he’d figured it out, he quickly finished the rest of his breakfast, did the few dishes he’d used and grabbed his favourite Tigre Punks biker jacket. Best to be early and not give that smug bastard the satisfaction of thinking it had been a tough nut to crack. Just as he was about to pull on his J of the M high-tops, he remembered that he should probably bring some pins. He wouldn’t put it past Joshua to enter him into some tournament without warning. Ducking back into his room, he pulled a box out from under his bed. About a month after the Game, he had received a package from Mr. Hanekoma, this box containing one of every pin he’d mastered during his Games.

At first, he'd thought to return the package, not wanting to be reminded of how much he’d suffered, but he’d kept them in the end. A lot of them were CAT-designed, after all, and many more were rather popular. Plus, he had to admit that the Game’s missions had sparked his interest in Tin Pin Slammer, so he had been just a teensy bit disappointed to lose all those custom pins he’d acquired over the course of three weeks upon his return to the RG. Picking his favourite half dozen, he pinned them onto his jacket and was about to close the box when he caught sight of the Player Pin half-buried under some others. As an afterthought, he grabbed it and slipped it into his J of the M jeans pocket before leaving. Just in case Joshua decided to take the liberty of scanning him again.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hm! Looks like someone’s early today!” someone announced as soon as Neku stepped into Stride, more than a little too gleefully for his comfort. “I see you even came prepared, Neku. I’ll admit even I am a tad impressed by this tiny bit of foresight, partner,” Joshua continued, twirling a lock of hair around a slender finger as he came to stand by his side.

“Maybe if you could sound that little bit less condescending, Josh, I’ll stop wanting to punch your face in every time I see you,” he retorted, walking towards the main slamming area.

“Oh, how unkind!” His former Partner giggled, following him. “But I really am glad you came prepared, Neku. There’s a tournament for couples today, and I’ve already taken the liberty of signing us both up.”

 _Bingo._ “That’s just like you, Josh. Has it ever occurred to you to a—wait. A tournament for what?!”

“Hee hee.” Joshua twirled with his hands behind his back to face Neku, as if trying to behave more girlishly than usual. “You heard me exaaactly right, dear.”

Neku immediately spun around and walked back towards the doors. “No way. I refuse. I’m out of here.”

“But Neku…” The Composer pitched his voice to a dismal whine as he tugged on Neku’s arm. “I reeeally want that grand prize!”

“Then do it yourself or find someone else,” he replied without halting.

“Don’t be silly, Neku. It’s not a singles tournament, obviously, and who else would I find?”

“Some of the Reapers play. Make them help you.” He shook his arm free of the other’s grasp and exited the building. _I knew this was a bad idea. This kid’s always been whack. I shouldn’t have agreed to this._

For a moment, Joshua contemplated doing just that before realizing that that simply wouldn’t do. “Neku, wait.” He hurried after his proxy, grabbing hold of a slender wrist forcefully enough to stop the boy midstride. “Relax f—”

“Relax?!” Neku whirled around to face him, incredulous. “RELAX?! Look, just because y—”

“No, you look here,” Joshua interrupted impatiently, finally serious. “Shooter and Yammer are a team. They’re the defending champions. I just ran into last year’s runners-up, Inoue Haruka and Haruse. They’re sister and brother. By any other name, it’s merely a doubles tournament, so just what were you thinking of that’s got you so upset? And since when do you care what anyone thinks of you anyway?”

The grip on his wrist tightened till it was just shy of being painful, making Neku reflexively look up to meet a pale lilac gaze. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came, so he shut it, and then tried again. “T—That’s because you keep pres—”

“Also, I didn’t ask anyone else because I don’t WANT anyone else, partner,” Joshua continued, sounding annoyed. “Now, you have two options: you can either stay and join the competition, or leave and forget what you came for. What is it going to be, Neku?” he demanded irritably, arms crossed.

Before Neku could answer, a familiar voice yelled, “HEY, BRO! It’s you!” He turned to see Shooter and Yammer approaching. “Wassup, bro? Haven’t seen you around here in, what, over half a year?” Noticing Joshua, Shooter nodded and grinned. “Oh hey, your friend’s here too!”

“You’re both here for the tournament then?” Yammer asked, as usual calmer and quieter than his tremendously excitable partner.

“Yeah,” Neku replied with a grin. “I hear we’ll be seeing you guys in the finals.”

“Whoa, bro! I’m gonna go warm up then! You’d best be at your pinnacle ‘cause I won’t go easy on you!” Shooter declared, running into Stride.

“I should probably go join him. I’ve been working on both my pins and my slamming technique, so do be ready for a fight out there. Hopefully, we’ll meet in the finals,” Yammer added before heading in after his teammate.

Suddenly alone with the Composer again, Neku crossed his arms. “Don’t think for a moment that this means I’ve forgiven you.” As an afterthought, he clarified, “On any account.”

“Yes, sir~” his companion sang, anger gone as quickly as it had come. “Well, I suppose we should go get in some practice too. Since you, my dear Neku, haven’t played in about seven months.”

Neku rolled his eyes, but followed Joshua back indoors wordlessly. As they sought out an empty table, something the other had said earlier occurred to him. “Josh, what’s this prize you want so badly anyway?”

“Ah, that. It’s a pair of special pins.”

It didn’t look like Joshua was going to elaborate. _Must…not…choke…_ “What’s so special about them?”

“Other than that they’re really rare?”

 _Are you answering or asking me?_ “Since when do you care about rare pins? You make all of your own or have Mr. H make them for you.”

“Yes, but these ones are special, Neku.”

“Josh, if you’re not going to give me a proper answer, I’m leaving,” he snapped, halting with a hand on his hip in unveiled annoyance.

Finally stopping at a vacant table near a corner, the Composer heaved a longsuffering sigh and turned to face him. “Fine, fine, you’ve twisted my arm. They are the custom pins used by the champions of the 2001 Professional Doubles Tournament in New York.”

Neku’s eyes widened at that. “Eh? How did Stride manage to acquire such a big ticket prize for a small open amateur tourney like this?”

“Probably because no one really wants things they believe are cursed.”

“Cursed? How?”

His former Game Partner shrugged. “The tournament’s finals were held on September 11th, just a few streets away from ground zero. It seems the pair played the winning slams just as the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center and have had nothing but bad luck since, which is why they sold the pins, presumably for cheap.”

“Right. That doesn’t explain why you want it.”

For a moment, it seemed as if he wouldn’t receive an answer, but then out of the blue, Joshua smiled in a way he’d never seen before. It seemed wistful. “The person they commissioned the pins from is an old friend, a fellow Composer who has since Ascended. They’re one of the few things left on this plane that are imbued with his Imagination.”

“Heh. I never thought I’d live to see Kiryuu Yoshiya being sentimental.”

“Just like I never thought I’d see Sakuraba Neku wanting to know so much about someone else’s world. Hee hee.”

Inexplicably feeling extremely awkward all of a sudden, Neku turned back to the table, scratching his head with one hand nervously. “We should get started before we run out of time.”

“That we should,” his partner agreed with a giggle before growing serious and preparing to slam.

Joshua was good, really good. Far better than back during their week together when he’d lost to Neku easily. In fact, Neku was beginning to suspect that the other had lost on purpose. After all, if Tin Pin Slammer was a battle of souls, one could hardly hope to rival a Composer’s Soul. So either Joshua had lied about not knowing how to play, which would have brought him no benefit that day, or he had somehow practiced a lot since then. Had he actually been serious about slacking off on his job? Still, that meant that Neku himself had to relearn his skills quickly to keep up and that they actually stood a chance at winning. Things were looking up. He was even rather excited when the beginning of the tournament was announced.

Their first match was against a pair they hadn’t seen around and miserably easy. To Neku’s surprise, the second opponent they faced was one they knew well. He hadn’t seen Nao and Sota since the Game with Joshua. In fact, he didn’t even know they’d made it back to the RG. Joshua simply smiled knowingly as both sides greeted each other warmly before the match. Then they started slamming, and Neku felt his tension level rising. Sota was pretty good, and Nao was better than he’d expected. Fortunately, working with Joshua on slamming pins was far easier than cooperating on matters of life and death. They could almost predict each other’s moves and synergize accordingly. After an intense five minutes, Neku Dive-Bombed Nao’s last pin as she was countering Joshua’s Stinger with Sledgehammer and sent it flying off the field before activating Stinger himself right at the very last second, just as Sota tried to push his pin off the edge after Nao’s, and giving Joshua the opening he needed to finish the match.

“Wow! Gratz Josh-Josh, Nekky! You guys are, like, super awesome at this!” Nao exclaimed, clapping excitedly.

“Yeah, and now that you’ve beaten us, don’t you go losing to anyone else, you hear me?” Sota added with a confident smile. “I don’t want to have lost to anyone but the champions, got it?”

“That’s the plan.”

“You can bet on it.”

Neku and Joshua exchanged glances as they realized that they’d responded simultaneously. Neku couldn’t help grinning. This was turning out to be a lot of fun. Surrounded by so many passionate fans, it was easy to lose himself in the heat of the game. It was easy even to forget his history with Joshua as they coordinated their whammies and exchanged high fives whenever they won with a joint attack. Joshua smirked at Sota and Nao.

“You’re even, like, totally in sync! Good luck, you guys!”

“We’ll be watching, tigers!” Sota called back as he walked off to join the audience with an arm around Nao’s waist.

Several increasingly intense rounds that at once seemed to last far longer and pass by more swiftly than they should have later, they found themselves face to face with Shooter and Yammer in the final match of the day. Before they knew it, they’d already made it this far. As the Master of Ceremonies finished off the introductions and opening address, Neku glanced sideways to find the Composer staring vacantly at the table, unusually tense.

 _Hm… Maybe this really is that important to him,_ he mused, remembering the somewhat nostalgic smile on the other’s expression earlier.

“Let’s slam, Yammer!” Shooter cried, readying himself as the signal to begin was given.

Without thinking, Neku reached out as Yammer nodded and gave his partner’s hand a brief squeeze in reassurance before getting into position, sensing rather than seeing Joshua’s surprise.

Then Joshua grinned. “Have fun, Neku,” he called and readied himself for the match.

Barely a minute after the battle was joined, both teams were at their last pins, and the audience was going crazy in the background as they all held on. Yammer had indeed improved tremendously, while Shooter clearly hadn’t been slacking off either. Possibly the only edge they had, Neku decided, was teamwork. Shooter and Yammer may be good friends who always played Tin Pin Slammer together, but they couldn’t claim to have lived and died together. They had never been in the Game, where teamwork was the only way to survive. And Neku was forced to admit, in hindsight, that Joshua had been the strongest of his Partners. It had taken him some time the following week to adjust to the reduction in shared energy he’d experienced with Beat. They COULD do this.

_There!_

Neku seized the moment as Joshua countered Yammer’s attempt to Dive-Bomb him with Stinger while Shooter moved his pin within range, no doubt to use Sledgehammer. He Dive-Bombed Shooter’s pin just as Sledgehammer activated a heartbeat too late, stunning it just as Joshua rammed Yammer’s pin out so violently, he had to use his last Helping Hand to save himself. Shooter’s pin was saved by bricks when Neku attempted to seal their victory, but there was little Yammer could do to help now as they threw whammies at each other. The telltale beeping of the timer was nearly drowned out by the crowd’s mad cheering, but it made him anxious nonetheless. At this rate, it would be the number of pin points they had that mattered.

Before he knew it, time was up, and he let out a loud cheer when he saw the pin points tally. He turned to give Joshua a double high five, only to have his teammate throw slender arms around him in his excitement. He froze. It was a brief hug, somehow familiar, and he tentatively returned it after a moment. This time, Joshua stiffened, as if only just realizing what he had done, and pulled away gingerly, turning instead to face the audience with a smirk and wave. Meanwhile, Neku scanned the crowd, more than a little puzzled. He could have sworn he’d heard a shriek of pain nearby, back when Yammer’s pin had violently ricocheted off the table, but it didn’t look like anyone was injured. In fact, it didn’t look like anyone else had noticed the voice.

Abruptly, he realized there was something else missing, just as a desperately searching Yammer straightened and demanded of no one in particular with more than a little dismay, “Where’s my Tin Pin Führer?!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Outside, a tall woman with shoulder-length dark blond hair uncurled her fingers to reveal a green and gold pin clenched in her hand. Glimmering static fizzled out of her left eye as she glared at the piece of metal she held. Then she tossed it aside angrily with a loud cry of pain and frustration.

“Urgh… Composer…” she ground out through gritted teeth, pressing her hand over the remains of her left eye. “You will pay for this! Still…” Out of the blue, she laughed, a harsh chuckle. “Lord Cyril will be pleased to hear that you are sufficiently perspicacious to perceive my nature.”

With that, she shifted frequencies and vanished where she stood. However, none of the passers-by in the vicinity seemed to have noticed her presence to begin with.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The participants chatted animatedly about the tournament as they exited Stride before splitting up into smaller groups to disperse. Joshua and Neku were about to head up to Spain Hill when a familiar voice gave a shout behind them.

“Hey! That’s..! That’s my pin!”

They turned as Yammer rushed over to pick something up off the pavement and dust it off.

“My…My Tin Pin Führer! Who could possibly have…what a horrible thing!”

“Looks beyond repair,” Neku noted, walking over with Joshua and Shooter. “That’s a shame.”

Yammer looked like he was about to burst into tears, much to Neku and Shooter’s horror.

“H—Hey, Yammer, bro, it’s…”

“Hm, mind if I had a look at it?” Joshua requested, holding out his hand expectantly and smoothly interrupting Shooter.

“Huh? What? Oh…” Yammer handed Joshua the mangled pin, seeming to snap out of his vacuous dismay for the moment.

With his other hand over his chin, the Composer examined the pin. “It’s not beyond repair,” he pronounced at length. “In fact, I have the tools necessary to fix it back home.”

“R—Really?” Yammer’s dismay seemed to have converted completely into hope. “You’ll help?”

Neku raised an eyebrow. Joshua was volunteering to help the boy out? Joshua, private dick extraordinaire? Of all people? This was some development.

“Yes, I’ll return it to you as soon as I get the chance. It should be fine,” he replied absently, still scrutinizing the pin.

“Whoa, bro, didn’t know you were good at fixing pins too,” Shooter commented appreciatively. “See you guys around here then? Great slamming today, by the way. You even beat me when I was going all out! Time to train some more, bro! I’m all fired up now!!” he exclaimed, running off and waving.

“T—Then I’ll leave it to you! Thank you!” Yammer gushed before bowing and hurrying after his partner.

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Joshua?” Neku demanded once everyone else was out of earshot.

“Neku, do you need a break?” his companion asked derisively, walking off briskly in the direction of Spain Hill.

 _Aha, bingo. An ulterior motive. Figures._ Neku jogged after him before slowing down at his side. “What are you up to this time, Josh? He’s n—”

“There are traces of a different frequency on this pin.”

“What?”

“A higher frequency, higher than the RG and UG both. Someone from the Higher Planes was there earlier. That’s probably our pin crusher. I’m taking this so I can question Sanae about it.”

“Why do we have to question Mr. Hanekoma?” They left Spain Hill and walked down from Molco towards Cadoi City, stopping briefly at a café to grab the priciest sandwiches Neku had ever eaten.

“Neku, what did you have for breakfast? It’s slowing you down. Tell me, if someone hit you with a pin by accident, what would you do?”

“Return the pin, expecting an apology or more, of course,” the former Player answered automatically. Then realization dawned. “Oh…”

“Right. Instead, this person quietly left, crushed the pin and tossed it in a bit of roadside litter. If Yammer hadn’t been so obsessive, we never would have noticed it. There’s nothing wrong with Angels visiting the RG at leisure, so there’s no reason to avoid anyone. Looks like our Angel’s got something to hide, don’t you think?”

“And Mr. H would know about this Angel business?”

“He might. He’s t—” Joshua cut himself off mid-sentence. “Well, he told you he was a guardian of the Game, yes? All the guardians are Angels. He’s one of them.”

“Mr. Hanekoma is..? CAT is an Angel? I…wow. I guess I can see that.” They turned up onto Miyashita Park, and something else occurred to Neku. “Josh, did you know?”

It took the other a moment to grasp what he was referring to, and then Joshua stopped so abruptly, Neku almost walked into him. “I foresaw myself talking to Sanae today, which is nothing unusual. I did not know in advance about this Angel, so no, your being here has nothing to do with this. Feel free to leave, dear,” the Composer replied without turning. “Although, of course, that means that you won’t get to ask your question for today,” he added with a giggle.

“Why, you little…twisting my arm, are you?” Neku demanded, but it was half-hearted. Something wasn’t quite right with Joshua’s manner today; he wasn’t being his normal level of insufferable.

“Just returning an earlier favour~” Joshua sang, turning so his back was to the sunset. The reddish orange light illuminated him, and for a moment, he looked the part of the human incarnation of a higher being.

“Hey, you—”

“Just shut up and walk, dear,” the other interrupted, resuming his brisk walk to Wildkat, apparently satisfied that Neku had decided not to leave.

There was the familiar tinkle of bells on the door when they walked into the vacant café. Hanekoma Sanae came out from the back to greet them, his excitement at the prospect of actually having customers dwindling upon recognizing them. “Oh, it’s you, J. Eh? Phones too?”

Neku thought to remind him that his name was ‘Neku’ and not ‘Phones,’ but remembered that it was futile, so instead, he waved the trophy and envelope in his hand and said, “Yeah, we went to play Tin Pin Slammer.”

The artist looked amused. “Yeah, looks like you guys won too. Practiced much during the Game, boss?”

“Speaking of the Game, Sanae, care to explain this?” Joshua cut in, dropping the crushed pin on the counter. “We found it outside Stride.”

“Hm? I didn’t make this.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Neku muttered drily.

“Why, that’s a brilliant observation, Sanae. Tell me something I don’t know for a change.”

The Producer laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with one hand as he picked the piece of metal on his counter up with the other. His expression grew grave. “This… One of Us has been in contact with this..?”

“One of You that didn’t want to be caught spying,” Joshua supplied. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“I don’t know, J.”

The Composer narrowed his eyes.

“I swear, boss! Look, why don’t you and Phones chill here with a cuppa joe while I go check up on this?” The barista put two steaming cups of coffee on the counter. “Be back in a few. Keep an eye on the place for me, will ya, Phones?” With that, the Angel disappeared into the back room.

For a moment, Joshua simply stood there. Then he took the coffee to a nearby small table and sat down. Neku followed suit, and they sipped coffee in silence for several minutes. Finally, Joshua turned to him expectantly. “Well, dear?”

Neku blinked. “Well, what?”

“Aren’t you here because you have questions, Neku?”

Oh, right, he’d almost forgotten. Questions, huh..? He had so many; he didn’t even know where to begin. Among others, “What changed your mind?” and “Why me?” seemed rather high on the list. Alternatively, “Did all the Players get to return to life?” or “Can’t you stop being such an insufferable snot?” sounded pretty good too. But Joshua would be expecting that, and he didn’t like giving the other the satisfaction of calling him predictable. What difference did it make whether he received his answers today or tomorrow? For now, it would be far more satisfying to surprise that arrogant know-it-all with a few new questions the day had inspired.

“Tell me about yourself, Josh. From before you became the Composer.” The slow, wide-eyed, blink of surprise he got in response was gratifying. Well, he supposed a part of him did genuinely want to know. He’d always known dangerously little about his lunatic former partner, and changing that would likely be good for his anxiety. Seeing Sota and Nao alive earlier had raised his opinion of present company somewhat, and the conversation they’d had about the pins they’d won had piqued his interest. For once, Joshua had actually sounded like a normal human being. “You said your parents called you Joshua, and Mr. H said you could see the UG while still alive. How much of that is true?”

His former Partner smiled, more sincere delight than mischievous glee. “All of it. I told you; I don’t lie for no reason. Making up convincing stories is awfully hard work, you know.”

“The story about those pins too then?”

“Naturally. Just like the stories about how Dogenzaka got its name. Or about the origins of the Moyai statue. Say, Neku, where is the Moyai statue from?”

“Uh… I…I don’t remember,” Neku admitted sheepishly, turning away with an arm crossed over his chest. “My uh…memories of that week were…are rather…”

“You mean you barely listened to any of it because you were too busy wondering whether or not I killed you and how to get back to life,” his companion interjected without missing a beat.

Neku winced. That was precisely the last thing he wanted to be reminded of. Joshua, smoking revolver in hand, wearing a sinister smile. He pushed the thought away resolutely. Even if he trusted Joshua, even if, deep down, no matter what he said to anyone, he knew that some part of him had already forgiven his friend, it still hurt. He couldn’t think of a response to that, but the other beat him to moving on, as always.

“Really, Neku, how could you? Considering how the amount of attention you pay me appears to be on the atomic level, I don’t see why I bother telling you anything.”

“That’s different,” he protested. _Besides, it helped to not pay attention when you were being an ass, which was only ALL the time._

“Is it? This information won’t save your life either.”

“You promised,” the former Player pointed out instead, trying a different tack.

Joshua giggled. “Oh, all right, since you want to know so badly for a change. And only because you’re my dear, dear partner.” He flicked a lock of silver hair back from his face. “Let’s see… Well, I was born in Shibuya to a Japanese father and an Austrian mother. As I was growing up, we discovered I had a talent for music. We moved to my mother’s hometown, Vienna, after I completed my primary education, and I was accepted into a very prestigious conservatory there when I was thirteen.”

“When was this?” _Well, that explains the hair, the nickname and the pretty face, I suppose. Wait, did I…did I just call him ‘pretty’?!_

“Decades ago, before you were even born, dear. I’ve been around for a while.”

“What instrument did you play primarily?”

“Hee hee. The violin, of course,” the other replied as if it should be obvious, and perhaps it should. “Anyway, that was where I first met the artist and pianist, Jude Ascott, when I was fifteen.” Here, Joshua’s smile grew affectionate. “He was twenty at the time, very talented, not very social. That suited me just fine in a roommate, since I’d never been one to make friends easily.”

 _Wow, I never would have thought. Maybe I didn’t give this kid enough credit. He must have always been an insufferably snotty asshole._ Saying as much aloud was tempting, but he supposed it could wait. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t said before by this point.

“It took a whole year for us to even start actually talking to each other and realize we had a lot in common. He could see the UG too, so he didn’t think I was crazy. We became close friends and wrote a lot of music together. We kept in touch after he returned to New York five years later, and I visited him whenever I was performing in the States. Jude was always an inspiring fellow, full of dreams and ideals, overflowing with optimism, you know the sort. It’s surprising he wasn’t the most popular person at the conservatory. I never understood him.” Joshua laughed fondly. “But New York has done well with him as Composer, don’t you think?”

“I’ve never been there myself, so I wouldn’t know to say.”

“Oh well, he Ascended several years ago, and the city hasn’t been quite the same since, I hear. As for me, I returned to Shibuya when I was twenty-seven. It had changed a lot, but it still had that edgy diversity I’d always found so fascinating as a child. Still, despite the cacophony of life around me, I grew bored. Sanae had his own art studio at the time instead of a café, and the more we talked about the Game, the more I came to see its allure. Instead of a mundane existence where people waste their lives away by taking it for granted, perhaps the constant threat of erasure would once again imbue human life with meaning. So when the concert hall I was to perform in one night caught fire, I didn’t try to escape, and I woke up in the Scramble just like you, a Player in the Game I’d been seeing all my life. Long story short, I won and became Composer.” Carding his fingers through a few locks of hair, he regarded Neku with a smirk. “Well, what did you think, Neku? Anything like you expected?”

“How old were you?” The story was less unexpected than the Composer’s unusual willingness to share details about himself or his thoughts, even if he had promised to. Granted, there was no guarantee that it was the complete truth.

“When I died? Thirty.”

“So why do you look…about fifteen?”

“The better to go gallivanting around with you kids? Hee hee.”

Neku frowned. “Can’t you give me a real answer?”

“That was the real answer. If I make an effort, I can look any age I want, but it seems that the default appearance when people down-tune their vibes to the RG’s frequency is the one they are most comfortable with, constrained by how much down-tuning needs to occur. Looks like the second happiest stage of my life was when I was fifteen.” Joshua shrugged with his usual effortless elegance. “Since it meant Megumi and the Reapers wouldn’t recognize me, I didn’t modify it.”

Neku couldn’t help flinching slightly at the mention of the Conductor he’d helped erase. “How did you meet him?” he asked tentatively. “Do you have a new Conductor yet?”

“Whom, Megumi? He was my Partner in the Game,” the Composer replied, seemingly unconcerned. “And I can’t pick just anyone, so I have someone performing most of his duties, but no one actually holding the position yet. I’ll manage.”

 _His Partner… How cold. Had I been the one erased, the one HE erased, would he just casually mention my passing to someone over coffee like this too?_ The thought chilled the former Player to the core. Just like that time, he was painfully reminded of exactly how inhuman, how much of a monster, Kiryuu Yoshiya could be. _He could kill me again too, easily, on a whim, and maybe he wouldn’t even blink._ He suppressed a shiver.

“My, my, Neku. You brought your Player Pin with you. Hee hee.”

Neku crossed his arms, channeling the sinking feelings he had into annoyance. “You tried to scan me.”

“Mm, I don’t like not knowing what you’re thinking, partner. Especially when you’re thinking about me.”

“W—What?! I’m not…” he spluttered.

“Oh, so you were thinking about me.” Joshua giggled, as if delighted. “How flattering, dear.”

Neku resisted the urge to punch the other or growl in frustration. “Believe me, Josh, if I’m thinking about you, there wouldn’t be anything flattering about it,” he snapped back instead.

His former Partner was about to respond when the proprietor chose precisely that moment to return. “Hello, hello. Am I interrupting anything special?”

“No,” Neku muttered irritably, his knuckles turning slightly white from their tight grip on his arms.

“Why, yes, Sanae, so you’d better have news for me,” Joshua replied, rising with his arms crossed.

“Well, what I’ve uncovered so far is that whoever it was definitely doesn’t want to be found. There is no record anywhere of anyone from Our plane being sent here, so this person or group is acting independently. As such, they must be separate from Our unified consciousness, which makes the list of possible perpetrators significantly shorter. Still, it will require some time to properly look into, y’know, so no sense keeping you both waiting here.”

The Composer rubbed his chin, pensive, staring up at the ceiling momentarily. “Well, then it looks like I have some work to do. Ta-ta~” he called, and with a tinkle of bells, he was out the door.

Neku rose to leave as well, when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Ah, J left before I could mention. Thousand forty yen for the coffee, please.”

All of a sudden, Neku REALLY wanted to choke Joshua. “I still can’t believe you’re charging, Mr. H.”

“Ah, well, a man’s got bills to pay, ya dig? Got to keep this place running somehow.”

As Neku concentrated on fishing the money out of his wallet, the Producer gave him a closer look. “Hey, something eating at you, Phones?”

“Just the usual.”

The café owner pocketed the cash Neku handed over. “Thanks kindly. Poke in again sometime.”

Neku turned to leave, but Hanekoma Sanae stopped him again.

“Hey, Neku?”

“Yeah?” Now, this was a surprise.

“Did… Was he the one who contacted you?”

“Huh? Well, uh… We ran into each other at Ramen Don. I have my doubts it was a coincidence, but he insists he didn’t set it up, so I can’t say for sure. Why?”

“Oh. No, nothing, just asking. Forget it, Phones. But look, I know it’s…not easy dealing with J, especially given your history together, but…believe me, he’s a better person than you give him credit for, and he’s not as cold as he wants people to think. Being the Composer just takes a lot out of you. Trust your partner, yeah?”

Neku didn’t know what to say to that, so he just nodded and left, wondering about Mr. Hanekoma’s peculiar question at the end. If Joshua and his old friend had one thing in common, it was that they never said or did anything for no reason. The sun had set by then, and Joshua was nowhere in sight, so he took his time walking home. Half an hour later, he opened the door to an empty apartment, locked it behind him and went to his room to flop face down on his bed. After several moments, he rose, put the trophy in a small vacant spot on his shelf and opened the envelope. There were three sheets of paper inside, two certificates and a photograph taken at the prize-giving ceremony. Joshua and him stood with the trophy between them, an arm around each other’s shoulders and each holding up one of the prize pins that were both now with the Composer. He wore a triumphant grin, while Joshua never failed to look smug even when genuinely smiling with his head tilted slightly towards Neku in what appeared to be affection.

He propped the papers up against the trophy with the photograph in front and couldn’t help smiling slightly at the memory of their victory, the euphoria that flooded his senses when time ran out and they still had more pin points than Shooter. He remembered the fondly nostalgic look on Joshua’s face as he spoke of his old friend, the familiar warm feeling of the other’s arms around him in that brief embrace, and tried to hold onto those positives, but couldn’t help recalling the Composer’s nonplussed expression as he’d talked about his late Partner. Neku sat on his bed with his knees pulled to his chest, looking away from the photograph and wrapping his arms around himself. Sometimes, Joshua could be so cold, just like the time he’d admitted to being the Composer, to having killed Neku, and handed him a gun while talking about ‘all that quality time we spent together.’ Sometimes, he couldn’t tell whether the glint in lilac eyes was mirth or malice; the kid could talk about the weather and kill both his former partners with the exact same expression. Neku shivered as he prepared for bed, resolving to get his questions answered when he next saw Joshua. Maybe it was for the best that they hadn’t seen each other in so long; if they had actually become friends, he would probably be feeling infinitely worse right now. It was a long time before he managed to fall asleep that night.


	3. Fashion Is What One Wears Oneself

The sun woke Neku up, a sharp glare in his eyes that he couldn’t shut out. He’d forgotten to draw the curtains before he slept, not that he’d properly slept much. Vestiges of half-remembered nightmares lingered in his mind, and he ran a hand through orange locks tiredly. It was quite possibly the worst Monday morning he’d had since summer started, and he hadn’t even pulled an all-nighter. As if on cue, the text message alert on his cellphone began to play, and he reached for the gadget, flipping it open to read the message as he blearily rubbed his eyes. It wasn’t from Joshua, unexpectedly, but from Shiki, asking if he wanted to get together with the others for dinner tonight. He replied that he could make it and maybe bring a friend; he could always bring Joshua along if the Composer hadn’t left by then. It would be wonderful if they could all hang out together; that had been his wish since the Game ended, after all. Shiki’s next message said she was still waiting for Beat’s reply, but that they would be meeting at the usual place at six to decide what to eat before heading to the restaurant.

It was over two hours later, after he’d showered, dressed and had a light breakfast, when Joshua’s message arrived. Climbing back into bed, he reclined against some pillows as he picked up the phone and read the day’s clue.

“Slept well, Neku? Here’s your riddle for today:

Tapping out a beat  
As I write in my diary  
Dance with me, my sweet  
For all eternity

I’m already here, so don’t keep me waiting too long, dear~”

“A beat? Dance with me? Music then. That leaves three places,” Neku mused aloud. “Oh! Eternity! Towa Records then,” he concluded in a burst of insight, rolling off his bed to get going.

This one was even easier than the last. Somehow, he’d expected Joshua to make this game far more challenging, but it appeared that the Composer had been quite sincere in agreeing to give him the answers he wanted. He thought of the day before as he pulled on his Hip Snake shoes.

 _Could it be that he’s just doing this to make me spend time with him?_ He zipped up the red Tigre Punks biker vest he was wearing before stepping out. _He could have just asked directly._ Involuntarily, he felt his thoughts straying towards the previous evening and resolutely thought of anything but. He needed to focus on the answers he wanted, he decided, the answers and the questions he needed to ask to get them.

It was cooler out than it had been yesterday. The sweltering summer was nearing its end, and he was glad for the breeze. Shiki and Eri had given him this pair of white cargo pants with red accents last week, so they would want to see how it looked on him tonight. They were doing well as a team; in fact, they would be having their first fashion show at an amateur fashion design competition in two weeks’ time. The grand prize was a grant, enough capital to start their own fashion label, and an advertising deal for a year to promote it. They stood a good chance, he knew, and he hoped they would win, since that would help realize their dreams. Eri already had almost all the designs they were going to present finalized, and Shiki had already finished sewing half of them. He was looking forward to watching the contest.  
Arriving in Towa Records after a brisk walk, he was greeted by Iwata Yoji as usual as he scanned the customers browsing the many aisles of CDs for any sign of the Composer. There weren’t many people, considering how crowded Shibuya generally was, but since it was one of the area’s pricier record stores, it wasn’t terribly surprising. They had a great selection though, especially in terms of foreign imports, and the clientele often came looking for music that was difficult to obtain elsewhere. Joshua was nowhere to be seen nearby, so when Yoji introduced a new CD that had just been released, he decided to take it for sampling at the listening area in the back. He continued looking around as he walked further into the store. There were some foreigners, a middle-aged couple, a blonde dressed in gothic clothing and a group of young men in their early twenties, and several wealthy Japanese women wearing the latest Pegaso fashions and other expensive foreign brands. A little further in, a group of ganguro girls crowded around the international hip hop section, while an elderly man browsed the classical aisle. Still no Joshua.

 _So much for being here already._ Neku made his way to a testing station, played the disc and put the headphones on. _Maybe he’ll come back in a few. I don’t think I’m mistaken, so let’s see how good this new album is in the meantime._

Tapping his foot to the beat, he skimmed the CD, listening to a minute of each song. It was pretty interesting, almost experimental. A classical melody would break into hip hop and rap, some electric guitar would spice up an indie ballad, there was a slow jazz song with a techno backing and a soulful ballad was accentuated with tribal percussion. The vocals ranged from rap to standard pop fare to operatic. All in all, it was a fascinating variety that he wouldn’t mind adding to his collection. He was halfway through the disc when a slender arm wrapped around his waist from behind and a hand pulled the headphones off. It was the blonde in the gothic dress, only far less foreign than he’d thought.

“I thought you, at least, would recognize me, Neku~” she cooed softly, giggling in a horrifyingly familiar way.

“J-J-J-Jo—”

Joshua cut off his shocked exclamation with two long fingers pressed to his lips. Good lord, he’d even glued on purple Pavo Real airbrushed nails. “Shh… Don’t make this worse for yourself.”

Neku resumed staring at the combination of lace-up doll dress, frilly parasol, blond wig and lace bonnet as he lowered his voice. “Holy crap, Josh. Are you high? What the hell is this?!” He wasn’t sure when Joshua had gotten his ears pierced, but the silver-haired boy even had silver diamond studs and a silver bracelet on, along with Dragon Couture Typhoon mules and a Pegaso Sparkling Flight purse. In fact, the only thing he’d seen before was the Silver Baron watch on his former Partner’s left wrist.

“Aww… You don’t like it?” The other pouted. Lip gloss. He was wearing tinted lip gloss.

This was NOT happening. Sure, they’d all worn all kinds of clothes regardless of gender during the Game, but that was because they’d needed the attached abilities to fight off the Noise. This was weird, absurd and, most of all, unnecessary. “Don’t screw with me, Joshua. Just what do you think you’re doing?!”

Joshua glanced around surreptitiously before answering. “I was being followed on the way here,” he whispered, leaning in so Neku could hear him over the background music.

Neku was about to tell his companion that he wasn’t in the mood for his jokes, but stopped himself. Joshua didn’t look like he was joking. “Uh…right,” he said instead. “And THIS is your solution?”

The Composer twirled a lock of blond hair around his finger. “It is remarkably effective.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I assure you I am, Neku. Very serious.” He giggled. “When I realized I was being followed, I masked my vibe and headed for the Scramble. I managed to lose my tail in the crowd, but to keep them from finding me again, I needed a disguise, so I decided to pay Lapin Angelique a visit for a quick and convincing makeover. I kept my vibe masked when I left, and there was still no one trailing me on my way here after I stopped in at the Stationside to complete the look, so I must surmise that it is working.” It was the whole truth, but he had to admit that he rather liked this solution. It was both a fabulous disguise and an excellent distraction. The look on Neku’s face was well worth the effort.

“And, of course, you intend to spend all day in this get up,” his proxy concluded slowly, crossing his arms.

“Of course, dear,” he agreed with a smirk. “I’d rather not pick up more Angelic spies.” That and because Neku’s reactions were far too amusing to resist.

“And you’re certain they’re Angels?”

“Indeed. They were following me from before I down-tuned my Frequency. That leaves few beings with both the motive and the ability.”

“You’re enjoying this,” the former Player stated accusingly.

Of course he was. “I make the best of any situation, Neku. We should enjoy the moment more, hm?”

He watched the boy open and close his mouth like a goldfish, at a loss for an aptly sassy reply, and laughed.

“So let’s spend some quality time. Get that CD, so we can grab lunch. There’s this great Spanish café at Molco that I’ve been wanting to try,” he said, taking a flabbergasted Neku’s arm like a young girl would her date’s. This was going to be a fantastic day. Neku looked like he wanted very badly to scream.

“Lost him?! What do you mean you lost him, Aidan?!” A purple-haired girl demanded into her dark blue cellphone. “Is there anything you’re competent at?!” A pause. “Argh!! Then find him!!” In a burst of frustration, she screamed and threw the gadget across the room; it left a nick in the wall as it shattered.

“Hush, Eliza,” the young boy in an armchair beside her cooed soothingly, sipping a glass of champagne. He looked about twelve with short black hair and startlingly green eyes. “I can’t hear the Music.”

“I—I apologize, Lord Cyril,” she said quietly, bowing. “It appears that Shibuya’s Composer realized he was being followed, and Aidan lost him. Please forgive our incompetence. I’ve told him to rectify the matter immediately.”

“Actually, tell him not to bother. I already have what I need to know.” The boy crossed his legs.

“Y—Yes, your Lordship. I’ll notify Aidan immediately.”

“One more thing… Tell me, how is Mirabelle?”

“Recovering well, sir. She should be in perfect condition by tomorrow or the day after, latest.”

“Excellent. Then we will attack soon. My hometown has proven itself a worthy target,” he murmured with a smile, adjusting his spectacles. Rectangular lenses glinted slightly as he pushed metal rims higher up his face. “Soon, my friends, very soon. Very soon, there will be change.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

No one was staring. No one was staring, and Neku couldn’t decide whether he was more relieved or horrified by the fact. The problem was, he decided as they shared a plate of paella and some tapas at Moda café on the first floor of Molco, that Joshua was appallingly convincing as a girl. He smiled sweetly at the waiter as they ordered, and the man blushed. A few of the other male customers checked him out as they walked in, hands linked because the cross-dressing boy simply refused to let go, and occasionally snuck envious glances at them. Not only was he convincing; evidently, he was also significantly attractive as a girl. It was positively terrifying.

“So remind me, Jo—”

“No,” his companion interjected sharply in a whisper. “Call me…let’s go with ‘Yoko.’ Everyone Upstairs knows my real name, so it’d be inconvenient if I were found out so soon, hm? Hee hee.”

 _Must…not…strangle…_ “Fine. Yoko. Whatever. Enlighten me, why are they watching you again?”

Joshua shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe I broke one too many Laws, and they want to see why.” He leaned forward to take a piece of sautéed shrimp from a dish on the far side of their white table, and Neku realized what the earlier male customers had been craning their necks to see. The dress was laced closed at the back, and a fair bit of pale skin showed beneath the criss-crossing ribbon.

He resolutely looked away before speaking; the entire situation was too weird to be real. “Laws? Don’t you make them?”

“Only for the UG. But the Higher Planes watch over us, and even Composers have to obey certain restrictions that are dictated by them.”

Neku ate a spoonful of rice. “What kind of Laws have you been breaking then?” Hesitantly, he added, “Was it the Game we played?”

“Bits of it, here and there.” Joshua giggled. “I’m breaking one right now~” he sang as he leaned slightly to the right to rest his head on Neku’s shoulder.

“R—Right now?!” He carefully extricated himself from the awkward position, wishing he could also escape this surreal circumstance. “What…how? Maybe if you stopped, you wouldn’t have to lose them by dressing and behaving like this!”

“Oh, but I have my reasons for breaking them, Neku. Don’t you trust me?”

“Then why can’t you just explain that to them?”

“I will whenever they decide to discuss it. For now, it appears that they are just observing.” Joshua rubbed his chin, the way he always did when he was thinking deeply about something, and the sight of the ornately designed purple nails had Neku asking himself again just how he managed to put up with the kid all day, everyday, for a whole week. “Hm, actually, they are not behaving like regular Enforcers. Maybe you should be careful too, Neku. Depending on what they’re after, you could be at risk.”

“Me?”

“Hee hee. You were my proxy, after all.”

“Oh. Har har. You’re killing me. Oh wait…”

“Been there, done that TWICE, and reversed it. What more could you ask for? Really. Have some compassion, dear.”

“C—compassion?! Tell that to yourself! This isn’t funny, J—Argh.” He turned away, looking down at the shiny black floor. “I…I went to a lot of trouble to get my life back. I’m not… I’ll be damned if I let you kill me again!” 

“...then prepare to defend yourself. I’m warning you, aren’t I? And be ready. If they’re looking for a fight, they don’t fight nice.” A pause. “It’s not as if I can change history.”

 _When you put it that way, I could almost feel bad. Almost. You could have chosen someone else. Speaking of which…_ “Why me, Josh? Out of all the people in Shibuya with the required level of Imagination, why did you pick me?”

No answer was forthcoming, and when he looked back over at his former Partner, the Composer was eating a piece of spicy fried potatoes.

Neku felt his eye twitch. “Answer me. You promised.”

“Hm? I can’t see how this is my problem. You’re the one who refuses to call me Yoko. Hee hee.”

“So now it’s my problem? Rrgh… Fine. Yoko, tell me. Why me?”

Joshua put his fork down and dabbed at his mouth with a serviette before turning to him with the same sweet smile that the waiter had blushed at. “You reminded me of something I’d lost.”

“Something or someone?” he blurted without thinking, eating a piece of roasted aubergine.

The Composer giggled longer than usual with his hand covering his mouth, exactly mimicking what Shiki did when she laughed. This was simply ridiculous.

“My, my, Neku…why, you almost sound jealous!”

“I do not!”

“Oh, I suppose…a little bit of both.”

Before he could reply, a familiar voice called out, “Yo, Phones!”

Neku froze. Much to his horror, Beat hurried over, dressed in the usual Wild Boar ensemble and beanie, with his new favourite deck under his arm. For the first time since he’d returned, Neku really missed the UG. Being invisible would simply have been perfect.

“Oh,” Beat said as he reached the table, finally noticing that Neku had company. “Hey, man, you never told me you got a girlfriend, yo.”

“I d—” Neku began, but his vehement protest was interrupted by Joshua abruptly standing up.

“Ah, you must be Beat,” he said, speaking softly to further mask his voice. Now he even SOUNDED just this side of feminine. Neku was tempted to run away screaming. The Composer smiled that sweet smile, and good lord, even Beat blushed. “I’ve heard so much about you and Rhyme from Neku here.” Neku somehow managed to not break down in tears. “Oh, my name is Yoko, Yoko Engels. Please just call me Yoko,” Joshua bowed slightly, then laughed, quietly to keep up the act, before adding, “Neku looks like he’s having a nervous breakdown. Do you need a break, dear?”

“Course he be havin’ a breakdown, yo. Imma whup his ass fer not tellin’ me stuff like dis!”

“Look, I—”

“In his defence,” Joshua cut in again, looking away in pretence of bashfulness. “This is actually our first date.” He met Neku’s gaze, and the mirth in lilac eyes made Neku wish all over again that he’d actually shot the Composer a year ago.

“Bwaaah! Why aintchu say somethin’, man?!” Beat chided loudly, slapping Neku’s shoulder a little too forcefully.

 _Because I only had all that time to talk between the two of you?_ Neku rolled his eyes.

Turning back to ‘Yoko,’ the skateboarder hurriedly said, “Sorry, yo, Yoko-chan. You comin’ tonight?”

“Tonight?”

“Yeah, me, Neku and a couple a’ friends gettin’ dinner together.”

“Mm, well, if Neku doesn’t mind…”

Suddenly, they were both staring expectantly at him, or in Beat’s case, more like glaring threateningly at him. “I…” He sighed, shoulders sagging slightly in defeat. “Of course not. Please join us.”

“Awright, man! We cool. Well, the Beat-Wagon’s peacin’ out!” With that, Beat sped out as quickly as he’d entered.

“As energetic as ever,” Joshua remarked, watching Beat leap onto his skateboard as he exited Molco.

“I’m sick of your tasteless jokes, Josh! Look what you’ve gotten us into!” Neku raged as soon as visible people were out of earshot, shaking his fist at his former Partner.

“Dinner together with no one the wiser. I can see how this must upset you, seeing as Beat is already telling Rhyme and Shiki that you’re bringing a date, but would you truly rather have told him the truth?”

“You…Rrgh.” It was true that the current story was better than revealing that Yoko was in fact Joshua, and…well, if Joshua was willing to keep up the act, maybe playing along was the best idea, he conceded. That didn’t make it any less infuriating though. “But now everyone thinks I have a girlfriend!”

“And here’s me playing the world’s tiniest violin. You’re so dramatic, Neku,” his former Partner remarked, shrugging carelessly. “It’s not like I told him we were married. People break up. Even people who have been married for decades get divorced. Just tell him it didn’t work out after a week or two. Did you think it was going to be extraordinary?”

That only made it all worse. “Why do you always have to be insufferable?”

“W—What a beastly thing to say, Neku!” the other exclaimed, a look of mock hurt on his visage. “Didn’t you always wish for me to join your weekly get-togethers?”

“Yes, but not a—”

“Does it matter whether they know as long as you do?” his companion asked, sitting down beside him again and eating another spoonful of paella.

At that, Neku fell silent. Maybe so, but more importantly… “Why didn’t you come?”

“Hm? Come where?”

“A year ago. You heard me. Why didn’t you come then?”

Joshua paused before reaching for a piece of bread. “Hee hee. There were more pressing matters to attend to post-Game.”

 _And you couldn’t spare even an hour? You ass. I suppose I should have expected as much from you though._ “What have you been up to since?”

“You can see that all around you. What about you?”

“I started drawing seriously again, learning new techniques, sending in contest entries and so on. I’m waiting to hear the results of the last competition, but there’s a really big amateur art contest coming up in two months that I’m looking forward to joining,” Neku replied with a slight grin. “Occasionally, I go to see Mr. H to ask if he’ll give me art tips or feedback, but I think he makes me pay for extra cups of house blend as a consultation fee.”

“That miser,” the Composer muttered with a soft giggle. “I’d like to see your recent work, Neku. It must be fabulous.”

“Um, well…” _If you’d sound just a bit more sincere…_ He scratched the back of his head nervously. “I’m not very good yet, but we could stop by my apartment to have a look before dinner, I guess.”

“Or we could ask for a piece of paper and have you sketch me something now.”

“Um…Yeah, I guess I could.” _Why am I even agreeing to this?_

“Mm, you’re so nice to me, dear~” Joshua sang, pecking him on the cheek affectionately.

“S—Stop that!” Neku cried, backing away with a grimace.

The other laughed, rising. “Your face is priceless, Neku.”

Then he…flounced to the counter to ask for a piece of paper and a pencil or pen…and flirt with the cashier. Neku buried his face in his hands. It was all just...unreal.

“Here.” His former Partner placed a piece of white paper and a pen before him and sat back down.

He picked up the pen, content to shut out the surreality with a distraction. “What would you like drawn?”

The Composer shrugged. “Whatever strikes your fancy, dear. Maybe something that comes to mind when you think of this city?”

 _Something that comes to mind when I think of Shibuya..?_ Neku nodded and began to sketch.

It was half an hour later when they left, Joshua walking backwards out of Molco as he teased Neku about what he’d decided to draw.

“This is what comes to mind when you think of Shibuya? Oh Neku, one could read so much into this!”

“I will never draw you another picture again as long as I live,” Neku declared in a huff, arms crossed.

Joshua giggled. “Such a spoilsport! I didn’t say it’s not good. It’s just…”

“Look out!” Grabbing Joshua’s wrist, he pulled the other sharply towards him and blinked, looking around. “Huh? Where’s that shadow thing gone?” He could have sworn he’d seen a huge black form hurtling towards the spot the Composer had only a moment ago been standing in.

Joshua gasped as he hurtled into his proxy’s arms. “What sha—” Then he sensed it. “We should hurry; come on,” he said, lacing his fingers with Neku’s and pulling the other back into Molco. “I know I got rid of the last of these, so I’ve clearly underestimated the lengths to which they’ll go to keep an eye on me.” Spotting the modulator decal, he dragged Neku into Funky Fashion. “Still, I’m impressed you can still see the Noise, Neku. I couldn’t possibly have picked a better proxy,” he added with a smirk.

“Wait, you mean that was… That’s Taboo Noise out there?! What… Why? And how did I… I haven’t seen a single Noise since I left the UG!”

“Oh, that’s right. You only carry your Player Pin when you come to see me.”

“Hiya! I’m so glad you’re here. Work’s so much more fun when you’re around,” Aoi Anna greeted cheerfully as she walked over before Neku could respond. “Wow, your girlfriend’s got wicked style too! We’ve got a sweet new line in. Pick out something for her too?”

Neku blinked and thought to protest, but realized that doing so would simply be digging his own grave. “Sure,” he agreed, playing along. “We’ll have a look. I’m sure she’ll find something. She’s convinced she looks cute in anything and everything.” _Wow, I didn’t even have to make that up, that arrogant snot._

“And I’m sure you not-so-secretly think so too!” Anna replied with a hearty laugh.

Neku balked, but successfully concealed it in a supreme exercise of willpower. “I feel so epic,” he muttered.

“Holler if you need another size or anything!” she called, walking back over to the counter.

“Think you’ve come to terms with the day, Neku? Hee hee.”

He merely glared at Joshua in response as they made their way to one of the aisles further from the counter. “Why are the Taboo Noise back?” he asked as soon as Anna was out of earshot.

“They’re trying to lure me into using my powers, I suppose. If I’d defended myself earlier, they would have picked up on it, so that’s quite the bang-up job you did there, Neku.”

“A simple ‘thank you’ would suffice,” he muttered, arms crossed. “Josh, while I can’t blame anyone for wanting to kill you, is there something you’re not telling me about this? They’re even making Taboo Noise to smoke you out now.”

“Ouch,” The Composer deadpanned before pressing a hand to his chin, pensive, as he pulled a dress off the rack for a better look. “I don’t know who they are or why they’re here, but they’re definitely not Enforcers. Those wouldn’t break their own Laws. I’ll have to somehow look more deeply into this later.”

“Okay, now what?” Neku asked, prying the hanger out of his companion’s hand and putting it back where it came from. “We can’t stay here forever. And we’ve agreed to dinner with the others tonight.”

Joshua shrugged, skimming another rack of clothing. “There aren’t many of them, so the stronger Reapers will handle it. The Noise will attack them too, so they won’t have much choice. We leave when things have cooled off. In the meantime, why don’t we ‘pick out something,’ dear?” he suggested with a giggle, holding up a frilly pale blue blouse and a colourful flared skirt.

Neku somehow managed not to scream. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Aidan, this is madness,” a young man with immaculately styled dark brown hair declared as he walked over to where his companion sat at the edge of the rooftop they were on.

Running a hand through messy red curls, Aidan replied, “Eliza said to find him.”

“Well, it isn’t working. But more importantly, Taboo Noise, Aidan! The higher-ups aren’t going to miss this one! They’ll be all over it in a matter of hours, especially the Producer! Lord Cyril said to be subtle!”

“I didn’t make THAT many of them. Hey, watch your step, Chiaki. There’s no ledge here.”

Chiaki stopped where he was, adjusting his matching pair of iridium shades. “You need to think ahead.”

“So Eliza tells me.” The redhead rose to approach his companion. “Still no sign of him?”

Chiaki tilted his head slightly as if listening with great concentration. “No. His vibe is completely masked.”

“Damn it! I’ll just have to make more of them.”

“Wait. Eliza’s here,” Chiaki said a moment before a shimmer formed in the air behind him and coalesced into a purple-haired lady in a dark blue mini dress with purple trimmings.

“Sharp as ever, Chiaki. Aidan would do well to take a leaf out of your book.”

He nodded in greeting. “The eyes often deceive us.”

“Lord Cyril says he already has sufficient information and that we are to commence regular operations as soon as Mirabelle is ready to join us. She gives me her word it will be tomorrow.”

“About damn time! This surveillance business puts me to sleep!” Aidan enthused, punching his right palm with his left fist. “Let’s get back in action, guys!”

“I’ll see to the preparations then,” Chiaki said before shifting Frequencies.

“Hey! Chiaki! Wait up!” Aidan vanished as well.

From the roof of 104, Eliza surveyed Shibuya, taking in the vibrant hordes on the city’s crowded streets. “Such a sweet underlying melody,” she sighed, twirling a lock of her purple ringlets around her middle finger. “Soon, Shibuya, you will be ours.” She smiled with satisfaction before leaving in a flash of light.

Several hours later, Joshua and Neku made it to Hachiko without any unfortunate run-ins with Taboo Noise. It appeared that the Reapers really had dealt with them, and there were none in sight. They were a couple of minutes early, but apparently, the rest had already been there for a while.

“Here they come. See, told you she’s a looker,” Beat announced in a failed attempt to be quiet.

“Shh! Beat! Neku doesn’t wear his headphones anymore, and she might hear you!”

 _Uh, dude… I would have heard you two even with my headphones on…_ Clearly, they hadn’t gotten the memo to come earlier in order to gossip about them.

Beside him, Joshua giggled. “How flattering! They’re making me blush!”

“Josh, you owe me one for this.”

“I think it would be in your best interests to remember my name, dear~”

“Gosh, guys, you’re worse than housewives!” he admonished in greeting as they reached his four friends. “We could hear you guys a mile away. Um, Beat, Rhyme, Shiki, Eri?” He indicated them as he said their names. “This is Yoko.”

“Good evening,” Joshua greeted softly with a shy smile, but Neku didn’t miss the twinkle of mirth in pale lilac eyes. “It’s really nice to meet you.” He just barely managed not to flinch when a warm hand took hold of his. “Neku tells me you’re his closest friends.”

“More like his only friends,” Eri corrected with a chuckle.

“Hey, who’s side are you on?!”

“Shiki’s, of course!” she replied, draping an arm around her friend protectively.

“H—Huh?” Shiki had been staring at Joshua, and Neku had the sinking feeling she knew something was up. Suddenly, she gasped, and he steeled himself for discovery. “Is that..? Is that the Princess K VIP members’ exclusive doll dress?”

Neku didn’t know whether to slap himself in the face or sink to his knees in relief.

Joshua nodded with a smirk. “I love it.”

“Oh, I’m so jealous!”

“Oh wow! How did you get one?” Eri asked. “I heard they’re only available to a few elite members of K Court, and they’re super expensive even then.”

“I’ve been buying Lapin Angelique almost since they started out, so I’m an elite member now, and I heard about this dress before it was released, so I saved up for it for months.”

For once, Neku hoped Joshua was lying. The idea of the Composer having a wardrobe full of gothic women’s clothes was rather frightening. However, he would have settled for Joshua releasing his hand.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. If you start saving early, you’ll eventually be able to afford it,” Rhyme chimed in approvingly.

“Hey, about steps, let’s bounce, yo. This outin’ ain’t nothin’ widdout some curry,” Beat interrupted, much to Neku’s relief. A conversation about fashion could go on endlessly with Shiki and Eri, not that Joshua was any better, although his tastes ran into the higher end of the price spectrum.

J—Yoko giggled. “There’s an excellent curry place in Dogenzaka that looks like a quaint little teahouse. They stew their curry slowly for a full week before serving it, so all the flavours from the meat and spices are brought out perfectly.”

“Yo, yo, yo, you got my tummy rumblin’ now! Come on!” Beat flipped his deck expectantly.

“I guess that’s decided then,” Shiki said with a chuckle.

She’d ditched the glasses for contacts, and grown her hair out a bit, but she still laughed just the same way she did in the Game. Neku smiled fondly. At least she didn’t have to carry her piggy around anymore. He’d recognize his first Partner’s Soul no matter its Code now. The Game had been so tough, so painful, but they’d all learned so much, grown so much. He’d even started making new friends. Shiki liked to joke that it was thanks to her fixing his fashion sense.

“Neku?”

“Hm?”

Joshua paused thoughtfully for a moment, then shook his head with a smile as they began to walk towards Dogenzaka, reaching up to brush a bit of blond fringe out of his eyes. It all seemed so natural when he did little things like that. Even the girls hadn’t suspected a thing. His act was flawless, and even when he behaved in a way that was distinctly Joshua, none of the others knew him well enough to recognize the quirks. When they reached the shop, they sat next to each other and because it would have seemed odd if he’d recoiled when his date rested her head on his shoulder, Neku gingerly wrapped an arm around the Composer’s shoulders in a brief hug and reluctantly let him do as he pleased. To his surprise, he didn’t mind as much as he’d initially thought. In fact, Joshua was a lot less prissy and insufferable while trying to act like a girl, so as strange as the thought sounded in his mind, it was rather a welcome change. They ordered, or rather, everyone else ordered, and Joshua ordered for him.

“You need to stop doing that,” he protested.

“Hm? When have you ever disliked something I ordered for you?”

“That’s not the point.”

Joshua placed a hand on his thigh, far too intimately for comfort. “Even if I already know what you’ll order, dear?” In all seriousness, the Composer was, in fact, clairvoyant.

He removed the offending hand from his person. “You’re going out of your way to be a thorn in my side, aren’t you?” Neku asked quietly, a hand over his mouth to keep the others from reading his lips.

The other leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “Hee hee. You always were a fast learner.”

Neku turned to face him and tried very hard not to punch him in the face. “You owe me one, Josh,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

Joshua only giggled more. “I think you have it quite in reverse, but whatever you say, Neku. Only because you’re my dear, dear partner.”

Before he could say anymore, Rhyme spoke up. “Miss Yoko, I’m told that you and Neku haven’t known each other for that long, which must be why I haven’t heard much about you. What do you do?”

“As an occupation? I teach and study music.”

“Oh, what kind? What instrument?”

“Mostly classical. Violin and viola. I played in a chamber orchestra back in Austria.”

“Oh! That’s amazing! Is that where you’re from originally then?” Eri asked.

“Yes. I’m presently staying with my maternal grandparents here as I study Japanese music for a few years.”

“That sounds nice,” Shiki remarked with a smile. “How are you liking it so far? Is this your first extended stay? You seem to know this city quite well, so you must have been here many times before though.”

“My, my, sharp as a tack, aren’t you? Yes, my mother and I visit every year. That’s when I buy all my Lapin Angelique clothes too, hee hee. I love Shibuya; I always have. It’s...edgy, different, vibrant. I like the energy here better than in Ikebukuro, where my grandparents live. It’s too bad that that’s where the conservatory is located too.”

 _Huh... Colour me impressed, Josh. You’ve thought this story out some._ The Composer had even thought about how to head to the Station without raising any questions. If he lived in Ikebukuro, it wouldn’t seem odd.

“Wait,” Beat said suddenly, scratching the back of his head and looking perplexed. “Yo Phones, how didchu two meet?”

Neku blinked, distracted from his thoughts. “What? Oh, um, Hachiko,” he blurted without much thought.

“Eh, really?” Shiki exclaimed in surprise. “Oh... Do you still do that, Neku?”

“Hm? Do what?” Joshua asked, curiosity piqued.

Neku’s eyes widened in horror as he realized what Shiki was referring to, but before he could tell her to keep mum, she replied, “Neku hangs out by Hachiko sometimes. He told me once that there’s someone he’d met there d—well, a friend he’d met there once that he hadn’t seen again since, and that he wanted to be there just in case that friend happens to walk by there sometime.”

“Oh! Oh! Dat prissy kid you was with, Phones?” Beat chipped in, much to Neku’s dismay. “Yo, speakin’ of which, man, I wonder what became of him. Never did see him again after dat week he was with you. Didn’t dat Composer dude fix evrythin’? So you be thinkin’ dat kid musta come back too, aintcha? Dat be why you keep waitin’, right?”

Neku blinked, confused. “What are you talking about, Beat? He—”

“Ah, is that when you dropped it, dear?” Joshua interrupted almost too quickly. “Well, he was looking for something. I ran into him at Hachiko and helped him find it,” he explained to the others truthfully enough with a smile. “In that process, we talked, got to know each other and arranged to meet up again.” Turning to face him, the Composer playfully whispered, “Do you need a break, Neku? Remember to keep up with the program.”

He narrowed his eyes at his cross-dressing companion, but decided it was best to play along for now. “Yeah. And...and I’m not waiting for anyone!” he protested. The only response he received was indulgent laughter. “H... Oh, she’s really good at Tin Pin too,” he supplied finally in hopes of changing the subject.

“Oh!” Rhyme exclaimed. “Speaking of Tin Pin, I heard you won the tournament yesterday with a friend. I didn’t know you still played, Neku. Birds of a feather flock together, perhaps? Yoko-san must have made you practice again.”

“Yeah... It was a long time since I last played by the time we met. I was surprised when she asked if I played.”

“Eh, why didn’t you join with her then?”

“Um... Well...”

“His friend asked for a favor, you see,” Joshua answered on his behalf. “I watched though. It was a great game.”

While Neku was thankful for the Composer’s quick thinking, he was starting to grow suspicious of the other’s cooperation. Last he checked, Joshua rather liked seeing him in a fix.

“Hmm... So tell me, Yoko, what is it that you like about Neku?” Eri enquired suddenly.

“E—Eri!” Shiki admonished, eyes wide.

“What? I’m just curious!”

“Ah... How do I explain it..?” Joshua turned to look at him with a smirk, covering Neku’s hands with his own in what almost seemed like genuine tenderness. “Hm... It’s just... I just...”

Neku raised an eyebrow at the theatrics, looking right into amused lilac eyes.

“Well... I really like his Imagination, for one, and I guess... Basically, I can see myself in him, you know?” The other turned back to look at the rest, leaning against him affectionately. “We connect. So~ deeply~ Oh!” Joshua fished out his cellphone. “I should take a picture of us together,” he said with a giggle, pulling Neku’s arms around him as he aimed his phone’s camera at them both.

Reluctantly, Neku played along, hugging ‘Yoko’ affectionately and smiling for the camera. Internally, the idea of choking Joshua was sounding increasingly brilliant and tempting.

“Ah, what a perfect shot!” the Composer commented as he checked the photograph he’d just taken. “Oh my, we even look good together, see?” He showed the others the picture excitedly.

The ensuing awkward silence was thankfully interrupted by the server bringing them their food, and dinner conversation immediately turned to other things. Shiki and Eri were almost ready for the competition; there were just four more outfits left to sew. Beat’s skateboarding lessons were gaining in popularity, so much so he nearly had enough to rent his own venue, and Rhyme was doing really well, both in school and in her hip-hop dance class. Eri asked ‘Yoko’ if she would like to model for them during the competition; Joshua laughed, feigning bashfulness, and said he’d think about it. The curry was the best he’d ever tasted, and he was content in being ignored for the moment. It wasn’t to last, of course, and Shiki was soon asking about his artwork and which pieces he planned on submitting for the upcoming contest. He hadn’t decided for certain, but he’d shortlisted a few to refine, and he told her as much. Then Joshua was showing them the sketch he’d done earlier that day, and everyone quickly agreed that he should submit that as one of the entries. Mentally, he added it to the list of works to refine. Much food and chatter later, they exited the restaurant, still engrossed in swapping stories. Joshua was speaking obliquely about growing up in Austria upon the others’ insistence, although he doubted the Composer had seen his mother’s homeland in decades.

“J—Hey, Yoko, didn’t you say you had to be home early today?” he interjected, deciding it would be best if he rescued them both from the threat of discovery swiftly.

“Oh?” Joshua checked his watch. “Ah, that’s right... It’s already half past nine. I promised my grandparents that I would be home before ten tonight to do something for them,” he murmured, playing along smoothly.

“Well, you should get going then.” Neku hesitated, then added, “I’ll walk you home.”

The Composer blinked slowly, and then he giggled. “You’re so chivalrous, Neku. Still, Ikebukuro is quite the detour for you, so I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”

“Oh no, you don’t, Yoko. Take the boy up on his offer, or you’ll spoil him!” Eri protested.

“Yeah! Dontchu let Phones off like dat, yo!” Beat chipped in helpfully.

“At least to the train station then,” Neku suggested. “You live very close to the station in Ikebukuro, don’t you?”

“I do.” Joshua smirked. “Well, if you’re insisting, I suppose to the station it is, dear.”

They said their goodbyes, promising to meet up again some time the following week, and the others asked ‘Yoko’ to bring her instruments along next time, so they could hear her play. Joshua said he’d see, but Neku doubted he would really keep up the charade for that long. His former partner took his arm as they walked towards the station together in comfortable silence amidst the cacophony of the nighttime city crowd. It wasn’t till they reached the underpass that Joshua let go and smirked at him.

“My, my, you seem to have adjusted to this quite well, partner. I didn’t expect you to play the part of the chivalrous boyfriend all the way. Hee hee. Charming.”

Neku rolled his eyes. “Oh, for...UGH, forget it.” There was no sense in bothering. “Is anyone tailing you?”

The Composer’s eyes widened, then he seemed to concentrate on something for a few moments before concluding, “Not as far as I can tell.” He paused, then giggled. “Oh, how sweet, Neku. You were worried about me!”

“Yeah, well, not everyone is like you,” Neku snapped thoughtlessly, already irritated by the events of the day.

Joshua didn’t immediately respond, but by the time Neku realized he’d been unduly unkind, the other was speaking again. “I wonder what this sketch would look like coloured.”

He held it up, and for a moment, they both looked at it. Neku could envision what he wanted it to look like in the end after some revision and refinement, and he had to admit it would make a great contest entry.

“You were going to improve on it for the art competition, weren’t you?” He seemed to take another look at it before holding it out. “Here. Show me the final product when it’s done, won’t you, Neku? I’d like to see the kind of Imagination that my proxy would put into a reflection of my city.”

Neku took it wordlessly.

“Well, my dear, dear partner, that was a nice distraction. I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow? Ta-ta~” he called, twirling around to vanish into the Shibuya River without waiting for a response.

“Hey, wait!” Neku called out, but it was too late; he would have to ask Joshua his question tomorrow.

He clenched his free hand into a fist in frustration. Beat, of all people, should have known that Joshua himself was the Composer. There was no way he could have forgotten, given what had transpired at the end of their Game, unless Joshua had taken those memories away. The question was why. Why did he erase those memories for Beat? For a moment, Neku simply stared after the silver-haired boy into the darkness of the sewers, and then looked down at the sketch in his hands. In his mind’s eye, he could see all the edits he wanted to make. He turned, starting on a brisk walk back to the apartment. Inspiration wouldn’t let him get much sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pencil artwork in this chapter by kuroの天使たち  
> Coloured art by 吸血阿狸


	4. Even If The Sky Is Falling Down

It wasn’t until the text message alert woke him up that Neku realized he had fallen asleep on his sketchpad with his pencil still in hand. _Couldn’t he start these games later in the day?_ he thought, groaning tiredly. Reaching for his phone, he flipped it open and read the message.

“Where things fell apart,  
where it all began  
What captured your heart?  
Will you find it again?”

Neku blinked at it for a moment, then concluded that he was too sleepy to think. _Bah, I’ll get up in another hour or so,_ he decided, clearing his bed of his drawing implements and returning to sleep. He wasn’t sure how much time passed before his cellphone went off again, and he cracked an eye open blearily. _Must be Josh complaining about the delay. Argh, fine._ He opened the message.

“On second thought, don’t bother coming, Neku.  
I’ve changed my mind. Game’s off today.  
See you tomorrow, perhaps. Have fun!”

“Oh, so you do have good ideas occasionally,” Neku muttered, rolling over to go back to sleep. Several seconds later, he threw back the covers and sat up. “Wait... That’s not like him. Josh wouldn’t just cancel something he thought was fun. Something’s up, something big.” He ran a hand through orange locks. Involuntarily, a memory rose to the forefront of his mind, one of new Taboo Noise and the Composer talking about being hunted by people who could track him easily and don’t fight nice. “Crap.”

Suddenly, Neku was wide awake, jumping out of bed to dress and clean up, not quite in that order. Twenty minutes later, he was dashing out the door, fumbling for his cellphone to look at the riddle again. _Where it all began..? Captured my heart... Of course! The mural! CAT’s mural at Udagawa!_ Destination determined, he started running.

It wasn’t till he reached Center Street that something occurred to him, and he stopped abruptly. _Wait a sec, if Josh is worried about them... Crap, what can I do? We’re talking about Angels here! Wait, Angels? That’s it! I should ask Mr. H!_ His mind made up, Neku began sprinting once more, this time towards Cat Street.

The barista looked up from where he was drying coffee cups behind the counter as Neku threw open the door and burst in. “Hm? Phones? Heyyy! You’re early today. What’s with the hurry?”

Neku leaned against the nearest wall, panting. It took him a full minute to catch his breath enough to speak. “Mr. H, it’s... I think... I think Josh is in trouble.”

The older man blinked once, confused for the moment, then his expression grew concerned. “Why do you think so?” he asked setting the cup he was holding down, and walking around the counter to approach.

“We were supposed to meet up today. He cancelled at the last minute. You know it’s not like him, right? He won’t give up his play time for just any old reason.”

“Huh. Yeah, J always did like his games, sometimes to the detriment of his responsibilities, but what gives you the impression of trouble, Phones?”

“Yesterday, there were people tailing him. He said they were Angels. Maybe the same people with the pin from the day before? I don’t know what’s going on, but I have a bad feeling. They even made Taboo Noise to trick him into using his powers and revealing himself once he’d lost them by masking his vibe. S—”

“Ta—Come on, Phones!” All of a sudden, the Producer was running for the door, something akin to panic in black eyes. When Neku joined him outside, he quickly locked the café door. “Where? Do you know where he is?”

The other’s urgency only made Neku feel worse. “He originally said we were to meet in Udagawa, by your mural in Udagawa. I don’t know if he’s still there.”

“We’ll start there.” Hanekoma Sanae broke into a sprint. “Come now, don’t slow! There’s no time!”

Together, they ran towards Udagawa, and Neku could only pray to whomever was listening that they weren’t too late. When they arrived at the area’s back streets, there was no one in sight, not even the usual gang kid or two. They hurried up the steps to the mural with Neku leading the way. Nothing.

“Damn it... Maybe he’s gone elsewhere..?” he wondered aloud.

Out of the blue, he heard footsteps, and a sense of dejà vu made him look left. Absurdly enough, it really was Joshua who rounded the corner, only this time, he wasn’t holding a gun. Their eyes met, and the flash of surprise in the Composer’s quickly changed to one of panic, then the silver-haired boy was diving at him. They crashed to the floor and rolled several times, just barely managing to not roll down the stairs, which would have caused some serious injuries. In all the confusion, Neku vaguely registered the sight of two black figures firing something like a laser beam at where they’d been standing from opposite directions and vaporizing each other in the absence of their targets.

“What the HELL?!” he managed as Joshua climbed off him gingerly.

“I thought I told you not to come,” the other said, looking around. “Sanae, you too?”

“Yeah, Phones came to get me. Good thing he did too, it looks like.”

“Heh.” Joshua helped Neku up. “There’s more of them,” he said, even as another figure rounded the corner.

The Producer stepped in front of them. “Listen up, boss. You and Phones get out of here. I’ll take care of this.”

“Mr. H?” Neku questioned, concerned.

Joshua giggled. “Oh, how charming, Neku. Look, if Sanae can’t handle them, no one in Shibuya can.”

“What he said,” the artist replied with a laugh. “Now go!”

The Composer didn’t wait to be told twice, nor did he wait for Neku to decide, grabbing his proxy’s wrist and pulling him along. They didn’t stop till they were in front of AMX amidst the crowd, and Neku looked around for a moment before ducking into AMX for a breather, tugging Joshua with him. Ito Masanori called the usual greeting and asked if he could get them something. Neku said some water and a chair would be nice and was directed to the CD testing area in the back along with a hot new release for him to listen to. He was pleasantly surprised when the shopkeeper actually brought them each a plastic cup of water and thanked him before inserting the CD into the player to check out while they caught their breath. Perched on a stool side by side, they drained the water and rested in silence. Neku put on the headphones, but only covered one ear with them, so they could talk.

When he could finally speak without panting between words, he asked, “Where are we going?”

“I don’t know,” Joshua confessed. He straightened and rubbed his chin in deep thought. “The only place they can’t reach is the River, but they know that, so they’ll try everything to keep me from reaching it. If that’s the case, I won’t make it to the station underpass unscathed even by teleportation. But WE are not going anywhere. Stay out of this, Neku. You should have listened when I told you not to come. At least, I’ve figured out they’re only targeting me, which means they intend to conquer Shibuya, but it also means they won’t bother with anyone else.”

 _Stay out of this?! You... Private dick extraordinaire Kiryuu Yoshiya, you haven’t changed one bit!_ This time, Neku actually punched his former partner. Or tried to, at least.

Joshua caught his fist and blocked with amazing strength, but of course, that was to be expected. The Composer would have seen it coming. “Tsk tsk, Neku, you could be the least bit grateful that I just saved your life out there.”

“Is there ever a time when you’re NOT a complete ass, Josh?”

“I’m hurt, Neku. I only had your best interests at heart, as always.”

Neku grabbed him by the collar in frustration; the other didn’t resist. “No, Josh, you’ve just always been very good at seeing things exclusively your way. Don’t screw with me! Stop acting like I’d turn a blind eye if you died out there! You’re the bloody Composer; it’s not so simple, and it’s NOT going to be okay. And... And I’d care, goddammit!” he managed finally, shoving the silver-haired boy away roughly and turning back to the CD player to repeat the track he hadn’t noticed was nearing its end without having registered in his auditory memory.

Joshua just barely managed to regain his balance and maintain his perch on the high stool. “But Neku...I thought you didn’t want to risk your life? After fighting so hard to get it back? That...you wouldn’t let me kill you again..?”

“...I never said I planned on dying, you ass.”

There was a pause, and then the Composer giggled. “Fine, you win. Hm... Do you like that CD?”

Neku scoffed. “I don’t know, Josh. I’ve been too busy trying not to choke you to pay it any attention.”

More giggling. “Well, you’d best decide quickly if you don’t want to have to fight your way out of here. They should be triangulating our most probable position right now, and I doubt it’ll be long before they find us.”

“What?! Oh, screw you.” He rose and hurried over to the counter to tell Masanori he’d take it.

The shopkeeper beamed and rang him up for a new copy. He didn’t know if he particularly liked it, but he vaguely recalled that it hadn’t been bad, and he supposed the least he could do was buy something as thanks for the extraordinary service. “Where to?” he asked his former partner as his purchase was being bagged.

“Hm... Well, first we’ll have to shake off the pursuit. Then... We need to go somewhere they won’t expect. Being unable to leave Shibuya limits my options, but I’m sure there are places we could evade them temporarily.”

“What about...my place?” He nodded and grinned as Masanori handed him the bag and thanked him for the business. “They probably won’t expect you to head for the residential side, since your residence is the River.”

“That’s...”

“It might work,” he added, seeing the Composer’s hesitation.

“Hm, a tantalizing possibility. For the lack of a better idea, let’s run with your plan for now. But first, we’ll need to lose our tail.”

“Just admit it’s a great idea, Josh.” Neku chuckled as they reached the door. “Are you ready?”

“What kind of question is that?”

They exited, casually at first to see if anyone noticed, then Joshua broke into a run, and Neku swiftly followed suit. The Composer’s heightened senses would have picked up on the fact that they’d been found. He tore after the other boy down Center Street and into the Scramble. There they stopped running to blend in with the pedestrian crowd. For now, the crowd served as their respite from pursuit, but wandering around for too long would make them stand out again, so they couldn’t stay.

“So. Where do you live, partner?” Joshua enquired casually as they mingled with the crowd.

“Oh...um...Shoto,” Neku answered with mild reluctance. The area was notorious for its high rent, and Neku wasn’t terribly enamoured of the level of wealth it implied. His mother didn’t exactly make bank, but they’d needed someplace conveniently located for commuting both to the airport as well as to his schools, since she was never around to aid in the latter. Her job made the rent affordable, but they could hardly be considered wealthy.

“That’s a nice place,” his companion remarked. “We’ll have to go through Dogenzaka from here.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, turning towards 104. He hadn’t expected Joshua to comment, since the other most likely came from money anyway, given his behaviour and preferences, but it was always nice not to hear it.

The coast looked clear as they entered Dogenzaka and walked up the street towards A-East.

“Think we have time for some ramen, Neku?” came the question as they approached Ramen Don.

He turned. “Are you asking me? You’re the one that’s keeping tabs on whether anyone’s tracking us.”

“Let’s stop by. You haven’t eaten, have you?”

Now that his former partner mentioned it, Neku realized it was true that he hadn’t eaten since the night before. Too much had been going on for him to notice any hunger pangs.

“I haven’t. Although... I suppose I don’t exactly have to, but I appreciate good food nonetheless,” the silver-haired boy continued, entering the restaurant without waiting for agreement.

“Oh, irasshai! It’s you two! What will you have today?” Doi Ken greeted cheerfully as they walked in. There weren’t many customers, but it was an odd hour for a meal, so that was hardly surprising.

“Oh, no specials today, mister?” Joshua asked with a laugh as they sat down.

“Nothing you two haven’t tried before. I figured ‘The Big Catch’ turned out too well to just forget about, so I cook up a batch occasionally for a seafood option. That’s the day’s special, boys. What’s it going to be?”

“Ooh! I miss that! One for me please.”

Before Joshua could do him the ‘favour’ of ordering on his behalf again, Neku quickly spoke up. “I’m not in the mood for fish today. A shoyu ramen will do, thanks.” The mirth in lilac eyes came just short of irritating him, and he pointedly looked anywhere but as the owner went to prepare their meals. “Will we have the time?”

“Hm? Who knows. You have to eat regardless.”

Neku tensed. _Is this... Damn it... Maybe he’s right. Maybe I should have stayed out of this. What if I’m holding him back, if I’m in his way? That’s why he said to stay away, right? What was I thinking? What was HE thinking? He didn’t have to simply agree with me earlier! But it’s too late; backing out now would only worsen our situation._

“Keep staring, and you’ll make me blush. Thinking about me again, dear?” the silver-haired boy quipped, a flirtatious smirk on his face as he propped his chin up on the table with one hand.

“Will you quit that?” he snapped, annoyed now.

“Quit what, Neku?” Before Neku could riposte, he continued. “Flirting with you or overhearing your thoughts?”

“B—Wait, what?”

“Hm? Something wrong?”

“Overhearing? You can scan me?!”

“Oh. That.” Joshua leaned back lazily, twirling a lock of hair around his finger. “Are you feeling all right? Did you not think I could bypass the effects of a pin I created? It IS my own Imagination, silly.”

“Then, all this while...”

“Relax, Neku. People’s thoughts are naturally audible to me; I’m just used to tuning them out. We could even talk telepathically like we do on the Noise plane all the time if you wanted. That Player Pin may not be able to stop me if I really wanted to know something, but it does keep me from effortlessly hearing everything. I rather like that, really. Being barraged by a cacophonous stream of thought every time I pay one person some attention is rather exhausting.”

“So you scanned me?!”

“I did not.” He sighed. “Is any of this sinking in? Put simply, that pin makes it harder for me to hear your thoughts, but sometimes, I catch an idea or two despite that. If I made an effort, which is what you would call scanning, I’d hear everything. Without that pin, my ‘scanning’ you would simply mean I was paying attention to you.”

“Here you go, boys! Eat up! I even gave you both extra!” Doi Ken cut in, setting their noodles down.

Joshua didn’t wait to dig in, and Neku suddenly realized he was ravenous too.

“Mm, I’m in paradise~”

“Haha, I’m glad you two made up, kid.”

Neku choked on his noodles. Joshua giggled.

“What? We haven’t been fighting any more than usual,” he replied innocently as Neku coughed. “Oh my, really now, are we not feeling well, dear?”

“Just zip it, Josh,” he muttered.

The ramen master chortled. “Well, you know what to do if you need a second helping or something for the road, boys.” He wandered back to his station.

They ate in awkward silence, Neku speeding through his meal while Joshua took his time, seemingly unconcerned. When they were both done, they paid and headed for the exit, pausing at the door to check for their pursuers.

“Hm, none on Dogenzaka just yet, it looks like.”

“Then we should probably go before that changes.”

“...Ugh, talk about inconvenient. They’re not here, but they’re all over A-East and 104. We can’t leave this area.”

“But we can’t stay here either.”

“You don’t say. If we lure them into Pork City, we might be able to lose them amidst the anomalous flow of energy there and head up to Shoto while they’re all in there. You up for it, Neku? It IS fairly risky.”

“Can’t you teleport us both to Shoto or something?”

“An astoundingly brilliant idea, Neku! They’ll be all over your place in seconds. I’m sure that’s exactly why we were headed that way in the first place.”

Neku twitched, but chose not to take the bait. “What choices do we have?”

“You could wait by A-East. I’ll meet you there when I’ve shaken them off my trail. Work for you?”

“...okay, who are you and what have you done with Joshua?”

“...hee hee. I’m repaying an earlier favour, that’s all.”

For a long time, Neku didn’t say anything. Finally, “Is it safer for you if we split up?” he asked.

“Hm, not really. It’s about the same for me, but it IS safer for you.”

“Then... Then I’ll go with you.” He turned away, scratching his head awkwardly. “Um... I mean, fewer things could go wrong that way, right? Uh... For instance, if you can’t get through A-East, and we don’t get to meet up, you won’t know where my place is.”

Joshua laughed. “Ooh, my knight in shining armour! You could head on home, and I could find you the same way I’m tracking them, you know. But! As you wish, Mr. Escort. I’m sure you’ll do a bang-up job as always.”

“...ugh, save it, Josh. Your jokes are the worst. Let’s go,” he said, stepping out of Ramen Don into the street and almost bumping into a girl with auburn hair as he did. He murmured an apology without turning and kept walking.

Several shops later, he was about to turn around to check if the silver-haired boy was still behind him when said boy ran by, grabbing his hand to pull him along. “They’ve spotted us. Now’s our chance! Hurry!”

They ran into Pork City and up the first flight of stairs. Joshua told people that he couldn’t see to either put up walls or evacuate because renegade Angels were on the way, reminding him that Reapers hung out in the building a lot. At the sixth floor, they stopped to catch their breath, and Joshua made a sound of annoyance.

“Ugh, at this rate, we won’t be able to slip past them. There’s too many. They sure came in force. I was hoping to avoid this, but I might have to fight some of them. Come on, let’s go up a few more floors.”

They ran up several more flights before a panting Neku asked, “If you could fight them to begin with, why didn’t you do so in the first place?”

“Oh, please. It’s painfully obvious. If I stopped to fight one of them, the others would have me surrounded in a heartbeat. There would be no end to it. Besides, it’s more effort than I’d like to exert. Hee hee.”

On the tenth floor, they stopped to take another breather, sitting on the steps to the next level.

“Ugh, this is just troublesome. Any one of them is easy enough on their own, but they always pair up, which makes them quite formidable. Even if they’re only shadows, they’re still Angels.”

“Shadows? Huff... Huff... What are we up against?”

“Well, if you’ve fought lone Reapers before, you’ll have seen a shadow form in one zone. That ring any bells?”

“Yeah.”

“Put simply, those are the Angelic versions thereof. The easy way to get rid of them is to erase the original.”

“The problem is finding the original.”

“Very sharp, Neku! And, of course, the original isn’t among them.”

“Huh...well, if each one of them is easy, what if we pair up too?”

“Hm? Someone’s an eager beaver. I thought you weren’t planning on dying, Neku?”

“I’m not, you ass! I’m going to beat them. I even brought all my A-list pins with me.”

“Exciting! Fabulous, Neku. I’m so proud!” Joshua said with a delighted laugh. “I knew I’d picked a winner.”

“What, you didn’t really think I’d come unarmed, did you?”

“Hee hee~ In that case...” The Composer darted forward swiftly to press his lips to Neku’s, and everything turned a radiant white.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Atop 104, Aidan sat at the edge, snacking on a bag of wasabi rice crackers as his legs dangled over the Scramble. Behind him, Chiaki leaned against his back, absently smoking a joint. Suddenly, Chiaki seemed to perk up.

“Hm?” Chiaki cocked his head as if listening to something. “It seems the mouse is headed somewhere close.”

Aidan turned to face his companion, excitement written all over his face. “Oho, right into the spider’s web? How near is near, Chiaki?”

“Looks like it. Very near. Pork City. I assume you want to deliver some personalized service?”

“Hells yeah!” The redhead backflipped to land in a crouch over his partner. “I’m sick of letting Eliza’s shadow peeps have all the fun. This operation was supposed to be shiny! Like in Pakistan and New York, remember?”

“Clear as crystal. That was quite the fireworks display. I still can’t believe how much Noise you managed to get on that guy without him keeling over. It was like a metal band entered New York by plane playing at full blast.”

Aidan laughed, the most cheerful he had been in a long time. “Can’t say I regret joining this team. Cyril knows how to keep life heated up! Well, we were told to watch the area. Pork City constitutes the area still, so let’s hit them up!”

The brunet allowed the other to help him to his feet, flicking the remnants of his smoke over his shoulder carelessly. “You are rash, Aidan, but if I cannot stop you, I must go with you.”

“You’re not even trying to stop me!”

“Because I know it doesn’t work.”

“Bah, details. Come, Chiaki, we have a mouse to trap.”

Their fingers still intertwined, they leaped off in the direction of Pork City.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“What the...Will you cut it out already?!” Neku yelled, shoving his Partner away roughly.

Joshua laughed. “Mm, not if you keep reacting like this. It’s immoderately entertaining.”

“Only to you. Oh wait.”

“Enjoy the moment, Neku~” he sang.

“...bite me.”

“Mm~ Where?”

“Rrgh...” _Calm down. Must...not...strangle... Now is not the time to be fighting this kid._

“Shut up and run, dear. The enemies are closing in.”

“Grr...” Despite his irritation, Neku didn’t protest and followed the other up the stairs.

“Hey, Neku?” the Composer called conversationally over his shoulder as they ran. “I suppose I should warn you, so you don’t have a stroke about it later. Don’t strain yourself.”

“Huff... Huff... What’s this about?”

“I removed the naturally occurring limiter that keeps the living from going full blast.”

Neku had no idea what the other was talking about, but couldn’t quite manage to breathe enough to say so.

“You still don’t get it? Let me make it obvious; it keeps you from tapping into your life force to draw energy.”

They broke out onto the roof of the building, and Neku dropped to the floor, leaning against the wall by the door to rest. Joshua looked around before joining him.

“Looks like there’s only one door up here,” he observed. “I manipulated the energy of Pork City to continuously form and reform walls between every floor, so that should stall them some.”

“Right. What’s this you were saying about tapping into one’s life force, Josh?”

“Hm? I thought that explanation would be easy enough for even you to understand. Mm, fine, fine. Put simply, if you overexert yourself in battle now, even if you win, it’ll shorten your lifespan. Is that elementary enough for you?”

“All right. Wait, you removed it?! A—”

“Say, Neku. Would you rather die at 70 instead of 80 or right here, right now?” Joshua’s eyes were closed. He seemed to be concentrating on something, no doubt the army of Angel shadows amassing below them.

Neku didn’t have an answer to that. He’d insisted on coming along, despite being warned of the mortal danger, so he could hardly fault anyone else. Instead, he looked around. Skyscrapers lined the horizon illuminated by the evening sun. They had a few hours left till dusk. Almost an entire day had gone by, and they’d done nothing but run from enemies whose real motives remained unknown. Come to think of it, it was distinctly reminiscent of being in the Game for the first time. He wondered what it felt like for Joshua to be seriously hunted in his own city. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something red. He turned to look more closely, but couldn’t determine what it was. Abruptly, he realized it was hurtling towards them, and he dove out of the way, pulling Joshua into a roll with him. The fireball hit their seating area bare moments after they’d vacated, and two men landed on the roof a small distance away as they picked themselves up off the floor. The redhead wore a red mesh tank top under a black leather jacket with matching black leather pants, while the brunet was dressed in a white suit with gold pinstripes paired with a red button down. They wore matching iridium shades and leather shoes.

The brunet tilted his head. “Hm? What is this? It would seem the mouse has company,” he observed, sounding bemused.

“So it seems, Chiaki. Nice move, Orangeylocks! There goes my preemptive strike!” the redhead remarked with a laugh, not sounding the least bit upset at the loss of the advantage.

“Oh? Why, hello again. I do believe I’ve seen you before,” Joshua greeted, looking right at the one in black.

“You know him?!” Neku asked, surprised.

“More like I caught him checking me out some days back. Guess I know why now.”

The youth pushed some of his messy red bangs out of his face and struck a pose. “I’m charmed, Composer. You remember me! The name’s Aidan. Don’t go saying I was checking you out though. Chiaki won’t like it!”

“There are many things I dislike, Aidan. When has that ever bothered you?”

“Ouch, you wound me, partner. You make it sound like I don’t care.”

“Hm? What’s this? Trouble in paradise?” Joshua asked teasingly with a smirk, a hand in his pocket.

“No more than usual, Composer,” Chiaki replied calmly. “I never was a fan of how things are run Upstairs.”

A silver eyebrow arched elegantly. “Ooh, why, this is new; here’s a sharp one now. Where do we fit in?”

“You don’t; Shibuya does,” answered Aidan cheerfully. “But enough talk. I’ve been dying to get in some exercise for a while now. Won’t you be a nice host and show us a good time?”

“Hee hee. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t. Are you ready, Neku?”

“You even have to ask? Bring it.”

Neku gasped as they entered the strange battle plane in Pork City. It hadn’t been obvious in the RealGround, but here, he was floored by the surge of energy that flowed into him. Joshua had been his strongest Partner during the Game, but now, he was even glowing slightly with the sheer power they shared. Was this a Composer’s true strength?

_Something wrong, Neku?_

Wrong? He felt nigh on invincible.

_Hello? Is this going to be a problem?_

_No, Josh. I’m fine. Better than fine. Is this your full power?_

_Hee hee. Almost, I suppose. You’d better keep up, partner~ Look out!_

Neku dodged the fireballs headed his way and summoned icicles beneath his opponent. The first hit, but Aidan escaped the second, only to evade into an orb of water. Neku sent a bolt of lightning at the redhead, who ducked to avoid it and slammed his hands onto the ground, engulfing Neku in a pillar of flames. He screamed in pain as he moved out of the inferno, and barely managed to evade a punch by twisting sideways. He caught hold of the Angel, however, and activated Black Saturn as the familiar light puck came to him.

_Keep in mind, dear, that I might not be around to bring you back if you die this time._

_If this is how you express concern, Josh, just save it._

His opponent grunted in pain as his own wounds healed, and Neku let go to dart away quickly just as the effect of the barrier ended, sending a lightning bolt at the other as he left. He sent the light puck back to Joshua before dashing away from another flame pillar, only to be assailed by a barrage of blades. Rolling out of the way and retaliating with some projectiles of his own, he realized the blades were poisoned.

 _Crap,_ he thought as the light puck returned, and he summoned an orb of water atop the redhead and an icicle beneath in quick succession before exhausting a cycle of lightning bolts.

Joshua’s message was wordless this time, mixed pain and anxiety, and he responded with silent reassurance despite the whopping sap of energy the poison incurred. They could win; they MUST. The earth shook beneath his feet as rocks fell out of the sky, and he evaded most of them as he ran towards the Angel, barreling into the other as he used Black Saturn again. The healing effect offset some of the poison’s, and he conjured his own pillar of flames as he backed away when the barrier ended and sent the light puck back.

_Now we’re talking... Having fun over there, Neku?_

Aidan sent more fireballs his way and more blades in the direction he dodged, so he was hit by a few of each, but managed to summon a full cycle of icicles beneath his opponent regardless as he regained possession of the light puck. As the poison took out another chunk of energy, he checked the Harmonizer pin; it was charged to level two. Level two might just be enough.

_Think this is a good time?_

_Fabulous, Neku. It should do the trick. Work for you?_

He almost laughed as he activated it. _What do you think?_

He heard Aidan scream as the entire field was covered in a rain of fire, and when they landed, they were back on the roof of Pork City. Neku panted from the exertion; they were strong. Even with more power than he’d ever had before, the fight had been challenging. The battle had ended, but it didn’t look like they’d been erased. Chiaki was leaning on his Partner for the moment, but Aidan seemed more energetic than ever. Neku felt arms circle him from behind and thought to protest before he felt warm energy flowing into him. It was pleasant; he felt refreshed.

“Hey, lovebirds, ready for another go?” Aidan hollered across the roof. “Now that we’re all warmed up and all!”

“L—lovebirds?!” Neku spluttered as Joshua giggled cheerily in his ear. “W—We’re not—”

“Aidan, we should report back,” Chiaki interjected disapprovingly.

“No way! I’m all fired up now!! Don’t be such a killjoy, hun~ This time, it’s on full blast!!” As he announced it, the redhead’s form shifted and grew...into a huge spider with extremely long legs and red graffiti-like markings on its body.

Chiaki sighed. “I will always regret that I was never very good at changing your mind.” He changed forms as well, transforming into another giant spider, but with shorter legs and a larger body.

“We’re switching over, Chiaki! Now, up the amp! Phoneutria Cantus is going to rock this city!!”

“Have fun, Neku~” Joshua sang as the spider Noise touched him, bringing them both into the next plane. _And be ready._

 _Beware his poison, Josh,_ he sent back as he charged the other spider.

“Since Aidan wants a taste of the Composer’s power, I suppose that leaves me as your opponent,” Chiaki said as they entered their zone. “I am Theraphosa Cantus. He tells me you are quite formidable. I will judge for myself.”

“Then bring it on.”

“I already have.”

Neku blinked, then he noticed it, the network of threads everywhere. He couldn’t immediately discern what they did, but it could only be either damage, debilitate or immobilize. He summoned fire in a path towards his opponent and sent a cycle of projectiles after them. Unfazed, it jumped and landed heavily. The shockwave sent Neku hurtling back into a mass of threads, and the explosion of pain clouded his vision momentarily.

_Hey, stay with me, Neku; do something._

He tried. He couldn’t move. The spider pounced at him, poised to strike, and the fangs were large, razor-sharp and ugly. There was no way to avoid it. Cold fear shot up his spine. His heart pounded loudly, wildly in his ears. Neku struggled, screaming in vain, and pushed at it with all his might, fought the all-encompassing bonds that he couldn’t see. And as the fangs closed in, he fought harder. It couldn’t end like this. He’d only just gotten back. He wasn’t giving up so easily. By sheer force of will, it seemed, he broke the immobilization, reflexively activating Dark Saturn in the nick of time. The light puck formed as the barrier damaged his opponent, and he sent it over to Joshua, panting from the exertion. He followed up with icicles and lightning, peppering the field with water orbs. Chiaki lashed out at him with its front legs, and he evaded all but one strike. Rolling out of the way of a follow up attack, he summoned the flames under his opponent again in retaliation, and the other shrieked.

Suddenly, he felt the telltale pull of temporary zone-fusing for Fusion Attacks and braced himself as a cocoon of web spun around him. _You’d better survive to fix things this time, Josh._

_That doesn’t inspire much confidence, partner._

Cold liquid rose around them as the web tightened to an asphyxiating pressure, and his skin stung. What seemed like a million blades and needles pierced him through the cocoon as the liquid pooled around his knees, but he couldn’t even open his mouth to scream. Yet, as the rising liquid swirled around him and burned his wounds, a strange warmth filled him, and the pain suddenly seemed to grow distant. The foul-tasting substance drowned him, filled his lungs, and he couldn’t breathe, but it seemed somehow far away, disconnected. He choked and coughed as the silk threads forcibly crushed his body. Everything hurt distantly, but it was warm here, and he wondered what would happen if he died again...if he would have to play another Game with Joshua.

Then, just as suddenly, it was over, and he found himself face-to-face with Chiaki once more. _How charming, Neku. I had no idea you missed me that much. It touches my heart,_ the Composer’s voice murmured into his mind.

Instinctively evading an attack, he retaliated with icicles. “Zip it, Josh,” he muttered as he sent the light puck over. The last thing he needed right now was the desire to punch his Partner in the face.

Remembering what he’d learned from the Game, he realized that dying here meant erasure. His opponent looked like it was charging an attack he had yet to see, but whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. He barrelled into the spider, activating Dark Saturn as he ran, and just barely escaped being stabbed by thousands of needle-like hairs. He dashed away as the barrier faded, using Black Mars as he did so before exhausting a cycle of Black Mercury above it and summoning icicles beneath it to toss it upwards at the orbs of water. He checked the Harmonizer pin; they were one star short of a full charge. If they managed a level 3, it could wrap this up immediately, and they needed to end this soon; they couldn’t take another round of the last attack. He could feel the strain, sense that Joshua was in great pain as well, no doubt poisoned by now.

 _Listen, Josh,_ he thought as the light puck returned to him. _Neither of us can afford to be erased here, but you, especially, can’t abandon Shibuya to them. I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to live in their Shibuya either!_

For several moments, there was no response. Then, he heard Joshua giggle. _How do you know it won’t be better?_

The Composer had a point. Maybe it would be. Maybe he didn’t know. However, he did know that the current Shibuya was a wonderful place, and he believed that it was better than it had been before it changed, before they all helped it change. It was his world, and he hadn’t even seen all of it yet; he wouldn’t trade it for anything else. But he remembered something Beat once said as he sent lightning bolts at his enemy, something about how Rhyme always had the right words. Those weren’t the right words. They had to be in sync for this to work, right? It couldn’t just be about him. Yet Beat, dense as he was, had also said something else near the end, and they’d mattered. Just a tiny, tiny bit. Maybe those were the right words here too.

_You’re my friend, Joshua. Can you trust that?_

_Hee hee~ Well, if you like my version of this place that much, then I guess I can’t disappoint my public._ The last fusion star came with that thought. _Let’s usher them somewhere new, shall we?_

“Anywhere but here, Josh.” Neku grinned, activating the pin with mixed relief and exhilaration, as he turned to face the Angel’s Noise form. “As for you, a new world awaits.”

Behind him, his Partner laughed as the other spider came into view too. “And you’re going!”

As a meteor the size of the moon crashed into the Earth, he heard music in his mind, a sweet sound that drowned out everything else. Warm energy flowed into him as debris and large rocks flew from the collision, and he couldn’t help smiling in relief at the telltale bursts of static. When they landed on the roof of Pork City once more, he was surprised to find them hand-in-hand. The Angels too had regained their human forms and were crouched, panting.

“Heh, that was a good fight. You win, Composer. I see why he chose Shibuya,” Aidan remarked, still cheerful despite all the static fizzling from his body.

“He? Who’s he?” Neku asked.

“You fight well, human. I suppose I should expect as much, if a Composer would willingly partner up with you,” Chiaki said, ignoring his question. “Don’t ever Ascend, boy. They will waste your potential.”

The redhead laughed, but this time, it was hollow and strained, and he rested his forehead on his Partner’s shoulder. “Sorry, Chiaki. You’re going to say I should have listened to you...I really should, shouldn’t I?”

Chiaki merely laughed as he reached for his Partner’s hand. “Oh, Aidan, it’s but a matter of time for us. But you know..?” he added, sounding wistful, as he laced their fingers together. “I must say this isn’t a bad way to go...”

As they vanished into dispersing static, a sharp black blade zipped through them. Joshua and Neku dodged, but not quite swiftly enough; it caught the Composer’s arm, leaving a cut just a little deeper than a scratch. Ugly black static fizzled from it like smoke, and he covered it with his hand.

“Ugh, they’re here,” he observed as a host of black silhouettes flooded the rooftop.

They backed away from the shadow women as more came up to join them. “Crap, nowhere to run! We can’t slip past them now. You and your brilliant ideas, Josh! We’re trapped!”

_Not really. Things are about to get exciting, Neku! When I say jump—_

He whirled around to look at the silver-haired boy. _What?! We’re fourteen storeys up, Josh! Are you high?!_

Joshua met his gaze squarely as their backs hit a low wall. _Do you trust me?_

 _I…_ Neku blinked. Of course, they were Partners. He’d learned his lesson the hard way. _Yes. Yes, I do._

 _Then jump, Neku. Now._ So saying, the Composer released his hand, but didn’t look away.

He hesitated; Joshua wasn’t jumping either. It seemed as if the other was giving him a choice. Yet, was this a test or an act of good faith? Could he believe that Joshua would stay with him if he chose not to jump? Or that his Partner had a plan to keep them both alive if he did? He thought of their Game, the smoking revolver, the smirk on the Composer’s face as he died, the cold look in lilac eyes as he’d talked about other Players, even his own Partner, getting erased, and couldn’t suppress a shiver. Then he thought about the events of the day, how Joshua had tried to keep him uninvolved...to keep him safe. He bit his lip and searched the other’s gaze.

_I said I trust you, and I do...but can I, Josh? Should I?_

_What do YOU think, my dear proxy? Besides, allow me to simplify the worst case scenarios for you: death or erasure?_

There was that. He closed his eyes. Somewhere in his heart, he found his resolve. He vaulted over the wall.

The wind blew past as he fell, righting himself so he was face-down to slow the free fall. Unable to see the fast-approaching ground, he spread his arms; it was like flying. Still, he couldn’t help the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he was going to die and he knew it. _Josh..?_

_Turn over, Neku._

He flipped over and opened his eyes. Joshua was just above him, smiling with his hand extended, and he couldn’t tell if the Composer was truly glowing or if it was simply the effect of the sunset.

_Take my hand. Quickly now._

He reached up and did so. The silver-haired boy pulled close and wrapped slender arms around his torso. The way the other rested his head where neck and shoulder met seemed downright affectionate.

_Hang on for dear life~ Hee hee~_

He obeyed, embracing his Partner tightly, and felt their descent slow. _Holy...You can do this?_ Sure, he’d seen Joshua levitate before, but hovering one foot above ground was quite different from flying. And they were definitely flying now, navigating past obstacles like antennae, compressors and awnings. Hell, they could probably fly to Shoto, only they’d be spotted since they weren’t in the UnderGround.

_We’re in my city, Neku; I can do just about anything. Being in the RG limits that though._

_Then why stay?!_

_Is it not painfully obvious to you that they’re trying so hard to have me return to the UG for a reason?_

_Can’t you give me a straight answer the first time for a change?_

_Oh, all right, I’ll keep this as simple as I can, since you’re my dear, dear partner. Hee hee. The down-tuning limits my power, but it limits theirs too. However, since this is my city, I can still tap into the surrounding energy, which gives me an advantage over them in the RG. In fact, it’s ironic that they trapped us here. Given what you know, wouldn’t you say Pork City is a most ideal location, Neku? I must admit that your unexpected insistence on coming with and helping out was instrumental in perfecting my brilliant plan. Now that I have a pact with a living human who can’t leave the RG, they can’t directly force me to switch frequencies. Really, my dear Neku, I couldn’t have done it without you~_

Despite being in the process of falling off a fourteen-storey building, he felt the familiar mounting pressure in his head from a level of annoyance and frustration that he only ever got from present company. _...apparently, I was an idiot to think you’d let me tag along if I weren’t useful in some way. Is that why you came to Ramen Don that day?_

_My, my, is that what you’re still hung up on? Fine, say it is; what will you do?_

Someday, Neku could just imagine, he would die - not in battle, not by accident, not even naturally, but from a stroke while asphyxiating Kiryuu Yoshiya. _Punch your face in, Josh, like I should have the last time. Now, is it or isn’t it?_

 _Hee hee. Unfortunately, that was coincidence. Or, at least, if someone set it up, that someone wasn’t me._ They landed on their feet in an alley behind Pork City. It was conveniently deserted. Joshua released him and pulled away as he steadied himself. “Well, now. Lead on, Neku, while they’re still occupied upstairs.”

The former Player didn’t have to be told twice. He ran like he’d never run before. It seemed like a full marathon later when they finally reached their destination. The last rays of sunlight were dying as Neku unlocked the door to his darkened apartment in Shoto. Joshua followed him in, and they toed their shoes off before collapsing on the couch in exhaustion, not even bothering with the lights. The Composer seemed unconcerned, so he had to surmise that they were safe for now. He heaved a sigh of relief. That had been a close call, but at least, they’d survived to fight another day. He ran a hand through his hair; he still didn’t understand anything, and given what he’d seen today, he had no reason to believe that his Partner knew any more than he did. In any case, they could talk later or in the morning. Right now, he needed a hot shower. He rose, or tried to, at any rate. The thought of standing up had barely crossed his mind when a head of silver hair fell heavily into his lap.

“Josh!” he protested. “Will you quit that?! I need a shower, dammit!”

No response was forthcoming, so he tried physically moving the boy instead.

“Hey!” He managed to roll his Partner over. “Josh, stop being a p—Josh?”

The Composer’s eyes were closed, his face serene and peaceful in sleep. That’s when he noticed it, how oddly ‘silent’ it was in his mind despite their pact. He could usually feel the other’s presence over their mental link. Presently, it was like a phone line gone dead. He shook the slender body to no avail. Only silence answered him. He tried again.

“Hey, Josh? Come on, dude, wake up. This isn’t funny. You could at least move to the bed. Joshua? JOSHUA!”


	5. Every Little Thing That You Do

_Once upon a dream,_  
a unicorn grew wings and flew across the sky.  
It flew over valleys low and mountains high,  
over grassy flatlands on which ice and sand lie,  
over watery seas and forests dry  
to land in a glade with an orange butterfly.

_It alighted on its nose,_  
that sweet butterfly,  
asked if it'd seen a rose  
as it was flying by,  
but there had been no rose,  
nor bloom of any kind,  
anywhere close;  
they'd been far behind.

_Still, in that glade, sweet music played,_  
so in that glade, the unicorn stayed.  
It danced all day till night was nigh;  
for by night it could play with its orange butterfly.

_One day, it found,_  
there was a black haze.  
It meddled with sound;  
it muddled the gaze.

_The unicorn searched through it to find_  
a jet black rose  
and lying close,  
once upon a dream,  
now dead,  
its darling orange butterfly.

It was bright, too bright, and Joshua cracked an eye open to give its source a bleary glare. There were no windows in the Room of Reckoning, so when he recognized it as sunlight, he sat up in alarm, the last few snatches of a colourful dream fleeing his mind. He was in an unfamiliar living room; the few necessary furnishings were tasteful. Memory kicked in as he looked around. This was where Neku lived. Even as he remembered the events of the previous day, a nearby door opened, and his proxy stepped out, yawning as he stretched. Bright blue eyes met his, and a number of emotions that he didn’t have the time to discern fleetingly flashed in them before the boy was grabbing him by the collar angrily.

“You! You’re such an ass, Josh! Do you know how worried I was?! I even called Mr. H to make sure you weren’t going to die on me!” Neku shoved him roughly against the back of the couch and let go.

“Neku, you do realize I’m already dead?” he checked, smirking slightly as he fixed his shirt.

This time, the other successfully punched him in the face. Evidently, he still wasn’t quite awake.

“Die, Ascend, does it matter what you call it?! You scared the crap outta me!”

He lifted one hand to gingerly touch his sore cheek and let his other feel the texture of the blanket on him. Even in anger, his Partner’s strength had been somewhat measured, hard enough to hurt, but not enough to leave permanent damage. Something buzzed loudly in his mind for a brief moment, and his fingers curled in smooth fleece. He shook his head to clear it. “I simply passed out. One moment, I was conscious; the next, I was not. It wasn’t intentional.”

Neku looked like he was about to make some kind of retort, but settled for sitting down on the chocolate-coloured suede couch beside him. “Is that normal for you? Are you okay?” he asked instead, sounding concerned.

“Don’t be silly; of course it isn’t. Perhaps I was exhausted. Flying in the RG is very draining.”

His proxy didn’t look entirely convinced, but appeared to change his mind about saying something. He wondered what it was, if he should try to find out, but then Neku suggested he shower. A shower sounded pleasant, so he agreed. The other showed him to a bathroom covered in beautiful blue and brown ceramic tiles and handed him a spare towel and some clothes. He wasn’t surprised to find that they were all from Jupiter of the Monkey, Neku’s favourite brand. He smirked, but the boy left before he could make the remark he’d had in mind, so he simply closed the door and began undressing. As he turned towards the shower, he saw it. He traced the black tattoo-like sigil on his left upper arm experimentally with his fingertips, leaning closer to the mirror for a closer look, and was rewarded with another loud buzz in his mind. It sounded like static, he realized grimly. The sigil seemed to have no particular shape yet, just many jagged edges. He remembered the spot. This was where the shadows’ blade had cut him the previous evening. Of course it had been poisoned. He would have expected nothing less.

Taking a last look at the single black mar to his pale skin, he let his hand fall to his side as he stepped through a glass swinging door into the shower area. It was a type of poison that corrupted the Music, precisely the type one would expect a being from the Higher Planes to be in possession of, and as such, using his powers in an attempt to remove or neutralize it would only speed its progression. There was nothing he could do about it. He sighed, turning the taps so warm water cascaded down onto him. Such poison usually wasn’t fatal, but he didn’t yet know what this particular one induced, so he couldn’t even start planning around it. The one person who could probably help him fix this wasn’t around either, so he’d have to deal with it himself eventually somehow. He punched the tiled wall in frustration; he’d been far too careless. He closed his eyes and calmed himself down; there was no sense in getting worked up at this point. A metal rack in the corner was filled with a variety of products, most of them more likely to belong to the woman who was once Mrs. Sakuraba than to her son, and he helped himself to some of whatever he needed, ignoring the buzz of static in his head every time he touched the sigil on his arm.

Instead, he focused on listening to the Music all around him, the Music of his city, his Shibuya. It had sounded so sweet since his Game with Megumi. Most clearly of all, due to its proximity, he heard Neku’s Music, and it reminded him of why he’d picked the boy as his proxy in the first place. It had been incredibly beautiful the first time he’d heard it, despite being muffled and having some discordant strings throughout, and it had only improved since the boy had returned from the UG. The interfering sounds were gone, and it resonated more clearly than ever before. He closed his eyes, listening raptly, and licked his lips. Involuntarily, he also picked up on a few stray thoughts. Neku was making brunch while worrying about him. It was quite adorable. All done, he turned the taps again and stepped out to towel himself dry. Borrowing the other’s hair brush and using the blow dryer that presumably belonged to Neku’s mother to get most of the water out of his hair, he dressed in the clothes the other had lent him. They were slightly too big and really not his style, but the sleeves covered the mark on his arm, and they weren’t falling off, so they would work for the time being. Moreover, it admittedly seemed rather cute to be walking around his Partner’s apartment in the boy’s clothes. Best of all, Neku would NOT find it cute when he pointed it out.

Neku was setting two steaming bowls down on the circular glass table by the kitchen as he exited the bathroom with a smirk and looked up as he entered. Then the orange-haired boy burst out laughing. He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t have to ask for an explanation. “Oh lord,” Neku managed between peals of laughter. “That... I... Josh, you look...”

“Like your girlfriend who’d just spent the night?” he finished with saccharine sweetness.

At that, Neku choked on an inhalation and began coughing violently. Joshua laughed; teasing his proxy was almost too much fun. Wisely enough, the boy chose to drop the subject and, once he’d stopped coughing and drunk some water, said, “I hope you don’t mind udon. I just used whatever was on hand. Don’t complain that it’s not five-star cooking.”

He sat down, picked up the spoon and made a show of apprehensively tasting the broth just so he could watch his proxy twitch in annoyance. He was well aware that Neku, while no chef, was fairly adept at cooking. The other got plenty of practice, since he was almost always at home all by himself; this had been the situation for many years. He didn’t doubt that brunch would at least be decent. “Mm, it’s actually not bad. I see you’ve put quite a bit of heart into this. Good work, Neku.”

“The proper thing to say is ‘thank you,’ you ass,” the other grumbled, joining him at the table as he picked up the chopsticks and began eating.

“Mm, I’ll give you a thank you kiss later, dear~” he sang, giggling.

“No thank you. I’ll pass. Please. Spare me.”

“Ouch. Neku, how could you...after everything you did last night...”

“Josh, drop it,” Neku snapped suddenly.

Joshua laughed, but didn’t press on. Once again, he was tempted to make an effort to find out what his proxy was thinking of, but decided to wait just a little longer on that too. Neku’s Soul shone brightly now, unlike the first time they’d met. In his vision, it practically lit up the room. He focused on eating; the udon was more delicious than he’d expected. After some minutes passed in silence, he conversationally asked, “How often does your mother come back?”

“It varies depending on her flight schedule. You probably know she’s a flight attendant. She just banks money into my account once a month, so I can buy what I need.” A pause. “My turn, Josh. Why did you take my friends’ memories?”

He blinked innocently, feigning ignorance. “What memories?”

“Will you drop it, Josh? Beat, of all people, should be well aware that you’re the Composer. Quit playing dumb and answer my question!”

“Oh, how rude. The least you could do is ask nicely, Neku.”

Neku crossed his arms. “I did the first time. If you’d give me a straight answer the first time, I wouldn’t have to snap at you every time we talk.”

“But that’s no fun, is it?” He laughed. “Honestly, have some compassion. Let an immortal have his entertainment.”

“Not at my expense, no thanks. Now, will you answer me already?”

“Oh, all right.” Joshua sighed, looking bored as he kept eating. “It’s the Law, straight from the Higher Planes. People aren’t supposed to know the identities of the Composer and Producer. For good reason, if you think about it.”

“I remember,” the other said pointedly.

“Who’s Captain Obvious now?”

“Grr... Why didn’t you take my memories as well?”

“Would you like me to?”

“No, you ass! Just...why? Why them and not me?”

“They are important to your growth as a human being, hee hee.” Well, that didn’t make it permissible, but it was an excellent justification.

“And theirs aren’t for them?”

Neku was a sharp kid, but sometimes, he could be so slow. “For Bito Daisukenojo and Misaki Shiki, who the Composer is doesn’t change their experience of the Game. For you, my dear, dear Partner, wouldn’t things have been very different if it hadn’t turned out to be me at the end? For instance, Neku, wouldn’t you have pulled the trigger?”

His proxy visibly winced at the reminder and didn’t answer. Honestly, was the child never going to get over it? How long did he plan on wallowing in his past misery? It wasn’t like there was anything anyone could do about it now.

“Hee hee, you don’t have to answer.” After all, the boy hadn’t had any trouble erasing Yodai, Mitsuki or Megumi, but even though he’d helped Koki and Yashiro fight the Taboo Noise, when push came to shove, he’d tried to finish them off just the same. Even now, despite his progress, like most humans, the line between friend and foe for Neku was well, if not obviously, drawn.

“If you’re done, I’ll get the dishes,” Neku said stiffly, rising.

“Yes, dear. Thank you for brunch,” he murmured, propping his chin up on one hand as he subtly scanned the surrounding area for any sign of downtuned Angels. Satisfied that there were none, he stood as well and followed his Partner into the kitchen. It was small, but well equipped. There was a shelf over the sink with cups on it, and he smirked, placing a hand on the edge of the sink to Neku’s right and pressing up against his proxy’s wiry frame as he reached up to get a cup off the shelf.

“J—Josh!” Neku’s protest was almost a squeak as he dropped the soapy bowl he was holding. Fortunately, it only had an inch to fall. “What are you d—”

“What do you have in the way of beverages, Neku?” he interrupted coolly, moving away with a dark blue mug in hand, successfully suppressing laughter and ignoring the sound of static only he could hear.

“Y—I... Check the fridge,” the other muttered through gritted teeth, turning back to the dishes.

He opened the fridge to find that an entire shelf of it was nothing but drinks - cans and bottles of cola, iced coffee, iced tea, juice and Calpico, among other things. It had been a long time since he’d last had Calpico, so he put the cup down on the nearest section of kitchen counter, grabbed a bottle and started drinking as he surveyed the contents of first the refrigerator, then the freezer. It looked like they had almost all the ingredients to make an Austrian dish he hadn’t eaten in a long time; he could improvise for the rest. He began to pull the items he needed out of the freezer just as Neku finished cleaning the dishes and approached.

“What are you up to?”

“Dinner preparations.”

“What are you making?”

“Something my mother used to make.”

“Something you miss?”

“Mm-hmm~”

There was a pause. “Do you...do you miss them?”

“Whom, my parents? On very rare occasions.” He probably would, if they hadn’t thought he was crazy too; he’d stopped talking to them about the UG because they’d started looking up psychiatrists. “Hee hee. Do you miss yours?”

“I’m used to not having them around, I guess, so not really.”

“Tsk tsk, and you say I’m cold, Neku.”

His proxy crossed his arms, leaning back against the counter. “As if you’re one to talk.”

He laughed, moving to look around in the surrounding cabinets. “But, Neku, your mother didn’t try to institutionalize you, did she? Besides, there is something to be appreciated about a mother that is willing to save up so her son can do something that is undervalued by this capitalist world because he loves it, don’t you think?”

“I—I didn’t say I don’t appreciate her.”

There were a number of seasoning and spice bottles in this cabinet, and he checked each bottle to see if it was something he could use. “Hee hee. Neither did I.” He turned to find Neku drinking out of the open bottle of Calpico he’d left on the counter beside the fridge. “My, my, someone’s stolen an indirect kiss from me. Whatever shall I do?” The other boy nearly spat out the beverage, and he giggled. “Do you have a casserole dish of some sort?” he asked without missing a beat.

Neku glared daggers at him and put the bottle down before opening a different cabinet and pulling out a large bowl. “Not exactly, but there’s this,” he replied with less anger than expected.

“That will have to do.” He took the bowl, unwrapped the frozen beef and put it in before adding oil and some of the herbs, spices and seasonings he’d found. Humming as he worked to shut out another buzz of static in his head, he tossed the meat in the mixture around it to mix everything up and coat the meat.

“What song are you humming?”

“Hm? Someone’s inquisitive today.”

“Fine, don’t tell me.” Neku snapped, storming off in the direction of his room.

Joshua looked over his shoulder just in time to see the boy briefly grab the door before releasing it and simply walking in, as if he’d intended to slam the door shut, but realized how childish it was and thought better of it. He chuckled; his Neku was always such a nice distraction. Done with the preparations, he washed his hands and finished the rest of the Calpico before grabbing two cans of cola from the fridge and going to join his host. He shook his head to clear it again; the poison was spreading fast. They probably knew that he could never completely switch off his powers even in the RG. At this rate, he probably had but a couple of days before the poison sigil completed even if he didn’t lift a finger. Entering his proxy’s room, he took in the slightly messy surroundings. The walls and carpet were a light blue, most of the furnishings were white, and the bedding was a bright orange colour with dark green pinstripes. There were stacks of manga, artbooks and art magazines, DVDs of animation and tokusatsu series, partially open boxes of art supplies and an entire shelf of music CDs. A few items of clothing were slung over the back of the office chair at the desk, and a fairly new computer sat on the desk itself beside a tablet and scanner. Pieces of paper were strewn across the floor, some used, some clean. Neku lay on the bed with his sketchpad, drawing something sullenly with his headphones on, and he was about to take a peek at the art when a familiar trophy caught his eye. He stepped closer to pick up the photograph in front of it and couldn’t help smiling slightly.

 _It was an Austrian folk song my mother used to sing,_ he told his Partner telepathically as he put their photograph back down in front of the trophy. _I don’t remember the words anymore. It HAS been decades, after all._

Neku looked up and pulled off the headphones, taking the can of cola he offered as he sat down on the bed beside him. Joshua opened his own can and peered over his proxy’s shoulder at the sketchpad. Two fairies with butterfly wings were creating a swirling sphere of light between them, opening a portal to another place, and within the sphere, a figure knelt as if praying in a beautiful garden. It was still lacking in details at this point, but he liked the concept and the combination of the manga-like aesthetic of the fairies with the soft realistic look of the garden and the figure within it. In his mind’s eye, he could already see it in a picture book or on a wall somewhere in Shibuya.

“A secret garden~” he sang quietly, taking the pencil from the boy’s hand and drawing over a few lines on each fairy. “Your proportions are a bit off for that angle,” he explained, handing the pencil back to the aspiring artist.

The other looked back at the sketch. “Whoa, you’re right. Thanks, Josh. I didn’t know you draw.”

“Hee hee. Glad to be of help, partner,” he replied, setting his drink down on the nightstand and lying down beside Neku on the very comfortable bed to stare out the window at the city sky. Several birds flew by overhead. “I draw occasionally, but it’s music that I’m best at.”

“Did any of your music ever get recorded?”

He shrugged. “Who knows? I never checked. You could look it up.”

Neku picked himself up off the bed and went to his computer. Several minutes of typing and clicking later, the boy turned back to him. “Nope, nothing.”

“What did you search?”

“Your name. What else?”

“Don’t tell me it didn’t occur to you that this was a long time ago in Austria. Try Joshua Engels. I used my mother’s last name with her nickname for me because no one could pronounce Kiryuu Yoshiya without somehow butchering it.”

There was more typing and clicking before Neku swivelled in his chair again. “Hey, is this it?”

Lazily, he slid off Neku’s bed and went to join the boy at the desk. “Hm?” He looked at the album cover the cursor was on and then at the track list below it. “Looks like someone actually collected some of the pieces I composed back then. They even found the few I co-wrote with others.”

“This is a pretty good orchestra. Let me download it.”

“Most of those pieces were originally violin solos. I’d like to see how they’ve arranged them for a full orchestra.”

“In the meantime, Josh...”

“Hee hee. What can I help with?” He rest his arm on Neku’s shoulders as he leaned down to get a better look at the image that filled most of the screen. “Ah, is that one of the entries you’ll be submitting?”

“Yeah. What do you think?”

“It’s excellent, Neku. As expected of my chosen proxy, you’re talented.”

“I’d thank you for the compliment, but it seems more directed at yourself,” Neku replied drily.

“Nonsense, dear. Sanae should be proud to have you as his protégé.” The other practically sparkled at the mention of CAT. Joshua giggled. “You’re such a fanboy, Neku. It’s rather cute.”

His Partner blushed. “I—I’m not cute, damm—ngh!”

Joshua cut him off by turning his head slightly to gently press his lips to Neku’s and was somewhat surprised when the boy didn’t scream, back away, push him away or otherwise drastically overreact even when he sucked lightly at a soft bottom lip. He could almost taste Neku’s Soul on the tip of his tongue. He kissed slightly parted lips again, savouring the taste as he drew it in. _Del—_ He silenced a gasp and pulled away quickly. _Ugh, what was I—_ A burst of static interrupted his train of thought. Masking his pain and confusion, he smirked at a glowering Neku. “Hm? Getting used to this, dear?”

“Reacting would give you too much satisfaction.”

“Aww, what a shame. You’re no fun anymore. Hee hee.”

“Is that all you think about? I keep telling you I’m not your toy!” Neku raged.

“Sorry.”

“Is everything about fun to you?! You... Wait, what?!”

“Hm? Download’s done.”

Neku blinked, then obligingly turned to opening the files as he slowly walked back towards the bed and lay down, resting his head on the boy’s pillow. The bed smelled like Neku; he liked it. Of course that’s the type they would use. He should have known, since they were trying to make him return to the UG. What better way than to force him into his Noise form? This was bad. He couldn’t stay here much longer either. The sound of a violin filled the room as his proxy came to join him, picking up the sketchpad and reclining beside him with pencil in hand. As the rest of the orchestra joined in on the familiar melody, Neku resumed drawing. Joshua smiled and closed his eyes. After dinner, he decided as he nestled closer; he would leave after dinner.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Eliza entered the darkened room to report, the boy was seated on the windowsill, one knee bent and the other dangling off the ledge, looking out at the stormy night sky with a smile. It was hard to believe how young their leader was, that such a young child had won the Game and Ascended to the Higher Planes, but she had seen for herself what an exceptional wielder of Imagination he was. As such, when he approached her with his plan, she readily agreed. She had never been a fan of the system Upstairs and had quickly broken her connection to the hive mind.

“I love rainstorms. Don’t you, Eliza?” he asked conversationally without turning.

“Not especially, Lord Cyril. I prefer snowstorms, personally,” she answered.

“That is just like you. Chiaki and Aidan?”

“Erased. Aidan’s great idea, no doubt.” She bowed. “I apologize, my lord. I lost the Composer soon after as well. However, I managed to land a slash with my poisoned blade, so it is only a matter of time before he goes berserk.”

“Well done, Eliza.” A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky as he turned to look at her, his green eyes bright in the darkness, even behind the glint on glass. “We will have to prepare a welcoming reception when he returns to the UG.”

“Then the time to act will soon be upon us?” A woman’s voice asked from behind her.

“Indeed. How nice of you to join us, Mirabelle. You seem excited,” Cyril remarked.

“Of course I am!” The blonde cracked her knuckles. “I get to repay him for that day!”

“You’re acting like you actually lost an eye,” Eliza said drily, straightening and crossing her arms.

“Can it, Eliza! What would you know?! To be injured by a lesser being with a pin...it’s my pride that needs avenging!”

“Now, now.” Cyril laughed. “Your turn will come soon. Thanks to our dearest Eliza, we won’t have to wait very long. Then Shibuya will be ours, and we may finally have enough.”

“One more thing,” Eliza added, remembering as a clap of thunder resonated around them. “There was a living boy with him yesterday, a kid with bright orange hair. He seems formidable. He helped take down Aidan and Chiaki.”

“Bright orange hair? I remember that boy. They were together on my watch too,” Mirabelle chimed in, all wicked excitement. “He helped take down the spider couple, eh? How alluring!”

Only silence greeted their addendum. “Lord Cyril?” Eliza called tentatively.

“Yes, he must be, if the Composer himself would partner up with him,” the boy responded at length. “A pact allows two people to share their strengths, but they must also share their weaknesses. He must at least be on the level of a Conductor.” He seemed lost in thought, his attention only half on speaking to them, and his green eyes were troubled.

“Any special instructions?”

After some consideration, Cyril answered, “No. Just keep an eye on him and exercise caution.”

“I understand,” she replied, bowing. Outside, the storm raged more violently than ever.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“T—This... This is really good!”

“Why, thank you, dear. It’s good to know I haven’t lost my touch,” Joshua said with a giggle as his proxy dug into the stew ravenously.

“It’s delicious, Josh. I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

“I’m happy you’re happy.” He began eating as well, and he’d missed that taste, but the negativity in the neighbour’s apartment was increasingly distracting. It seemed like a couple had just cut off quite the heated argument by walking out and slamming doors on each other, and both parties were now radiating Noise food. He licked his lips, rising. It was time for another bowl. “Seconds?”

“Yes, please!”

Taking Neku’s bowl with him into the kitchen, he just barely managed not to drop anything when the burst of static filled his entire being. It wasn’t just a sound in his head anymore; it was like a mild shock, tingly and just shy of painful. He must have staggered because Neku was suddenly behind him, a warm hand on his right arm.

“Come to think of it, I’ll help myself,” he said, taking his bowl. “You wouldn’t know exactly how much I want anyway.”

“Hee hee. Wouldn’t I?”

Neku turned as he ladled more stew into his bowl. “Are you scanning me again?!”

“Hee hee. Say I am. What will you do about it?”

For a moment, Joshua watched the mounting frustration on his proxy’s expression, and it looked like he was going to start raging as usual, but then the boy abruptly turned back to the pot and focused on counting exactly three pieces of potato into his bowl. “Rrgh! If you wanted to know something, you could just ask like a normal person.”

“Hm? But why bother? After all, y—”

“You could talk till you’re blue in the face and not hear the truth, is that it?”

He hid his surprise and chuckled. “Aww, you sneaky little thing. You said your memories of that week were hazy.”

“They are with a few exceptions. But tell me, Josh, is it that you think I’d lie to you if you asked?”

“You’re assuming I’ve been scanning you instead in the first place. I just asked what you’d do if I had.”

Neku sighed tiredly. “Drop it. My point is that people don’t lie twenty-four seven.”

“Hm? Do you want me to question you that badly? Hee hee, all right then. Do you like me, Neku?”

“I... What? Do I... W—what kind of question is that?!”

Joshua burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of the other’s flustered expression. “Oh, Neku... Your face is priceless.”

“Who asked you?!”

He continued laughing as he helped himself to another bowl.

“You’re acting really strange today,” Neku remarked quietly as he returned.

“You think so?” Personally, he thought Neku was acting stranger.

He subtly scanned the area again as he ate. The coast was still clear. They were probably waiting by the River. The Room of Reckoning, Trail of the Judged and Dead God’s Pad were set up to not allow anyone to teleport directly into them, so his best bet was to teleport into the Trail of the Bygone. He’d called Sanae earlier to tell him to watch the River and have the Reapers tighten security, but it was best not to take any chances. Moreover, there were still those among the Reapers who would attempt to take his seat by force, and they would surely take advantage of the situation. Avoiding everyone was probably playing it safest. He rose.

“I trust you’ll take care of the dishes? I must be going.”

He was halfway to the door when Neku grabbed his wrist to stop him. “Going? Going where?”

“Oh, please. Where else? I’m the Composer; I have to return to the River.”

“But they’ll be waiting for you.”

“You don’t say.”

“...no...”

“Hm? I didn’t catch that.”

“No! I’m not letting you get yourself erased by going there!”

“Don’t be silly, Neku. I have to go back, and the Room of Reckoning is the most defensible place in this city.”

“If that were the best idea, you’d have returned to the UG as they wished and gone there yesterday!”

“Surely you’ve realized I can’t bring you back there with me.”

Minutes passed in silence with Neku staring at some point on the wooden floor, possibly imagining pictures in the grain of the wood, still refusing to let his hand go. “I never know when you’re telling the truth, Josh.”

“Hm? Hee hee. You make it sound like any one truth is mutually exclusive from every other, dear. I suppose you want me to explain? Fine, I’ll keep it extremely basic. It is true that our pact protects me from any direct psych they could try using to forcibly change my vibe, but it is also true that I can’t return to the River with you in tow, and as such, I couldn’t teleport back directly from the roof of Pork City yesterday when they were occupied. If you hadn’t tagged along, I would have teleported back to the River as soon as they were all inside the building. Or I suppose I could have left you with them to see if they’d know to take you hostage, hm? Ah well, pity I didn’t think of this yesterday.”

Neku looked like he was about to start crying. That only made Joshua want to leave sooner and more desperately. He twisted his hand out of Neku’s grasp and resumed walking towards the door.

“Wait. To answer your earlier question...”

He wasn’t sure whether it was curiosity, affection or the delicious whirl of pain and anger filling the room that gave him pause. It was so, so very tempting. Neku was very tempting. He swallowed, firmly pushing the thoughts away.

“I don’t like you, Josh. I don’t know why anyone would, and it doesn’t surprise me that half the world seems to want to kill you at any given point in time. You’re a presumptuous, snotty, manipulative, devious, hypocritical and unnecessarily cryptic know-it-all that goes out of his way to be insufferably irritating! It’s confusing as hell because you never give straight answers, and you tell truths and lies with the same ease and expression! Hell, you kill people, you killed ME, with the same expression! It’s all about your own personal amusement, isn’t it?! For fun?! Are we all just toys to you?! When did it become so easy, Josh?! Half the time, I don’t even know if you’ve ever been human because you have the callousness of a monster; your indifference to others’ feelings borders on malice! You won’t tell me anything, you won’t apologize for anything, and you act like explaining anything is a chore! Lord knows, most of the time, I want to tell everyone else to just get in line because I’d really love to whack you myself! I don’t know which is worse, that you do it on purpose or that you don’t care, you ass!!”

 _Feelings, huh._ Feelings were like glass feathers, such beautiful fragile things that cut you when they were broken. He wasn’t in the mood for this; he didn’t have the time to sweep up glass shards tonight. “Then why the sudden interest? This isn’t like you at all, Neku. You don’t like anything I do as the Composer either.” Neku’s Soul had flared so brightly during that tirade that he didn’t have to turn to see it, and he realized he was salivating. Damn, he really had to leave.

It seemed like Neku had to pause to breathe. “I’ll take the devil I know,” he answered, chuckling weakly.

“And if I said I knew for a fact that my replacement would be better?”

“You can’t know that.”

“Can’t I? Say I do know; what then?”

“I still wouldn’t let them erase you. You’re my friend, Josh.”

“Mm, charming, but that doesn’t give you the right to stop me,” he responded, reaching for the doorknob.

“Stop, goddammit!” Neku pulled him by the arm and spun him around so they were face to face, his other hand clenched into a tight fist by his side. “Just what the hell’s gotten into you?!”

“Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Neku,” he warned coldly.

“Rrgh!!”

The Composer braced himself for the blow, closing his eyes, but was surprised when the other hand shoved him forcefully against the door instead, and moist lips pressed roughly and clumsily to his own. This was one too many surprises for one day. Being unable to access his clairvoyance was starting to irritate him. It was very inconvenient.

“Is that your answer?” he asked when the boy pulled away after the brief contact, masking surprise with indifference.

“I...” Blue eyes were filled with confusion as they met his own. “I don’t know... Just... Suddenly...”

Joshua narrowed his eyes. “Is that how far you’d go to keep me here, Neku?” He grabbed Neku by the shoulders and whirled around so he had Neku pinned to the door. “Hee hee~ Temptation is a dangerous game, partner. Sure you want to play? You won’t regret that, hm?” He leaned in closer, smile predatory. “While we’re at it, dear, here’s how you do this right,” he continued, tilting his head and pressing their lips together, at once both gentle and demanding. _Open your mouth,_ he commanded.

The other was unexpectedly obedient, and he plundered the boy’s mouth. He could taste it again, delicious and tempting, just barely out of reach; it would be so easy to devour all that beautiful, brilliant Soul, as simple as inhaling. But no, no, he mustn’t; he knew he mustn’t. Neku gripped his arms to steady himself, seeming not to mind this outcome, and pulled him closer. He always did know how to make things harder.

Suddenly, Neku was screaming in pain. The boy’s body spasmed like he was being electrocuted, and in a flash, Joshua realized the problem, backing away swiftly and dropping to his knees as the static reverberated painfully inside him as well. Neku slumped to the floor, back against the door and hands on his head.

“What was that, Josh?” Neku asked with mixed pain and fear. It was hard to tell whether the fear was for him or of him. Maybe it was both. Regardless, it was uncanny how sensitive Neku still was to the energies of other planes.

“The reason I must leave tonight, Neku,” he answered quietly, sighing. “Cat’s out of the bag, I suppose. It’s poison.”

Sapphire eyes widened. “No way! That’s all the more reason not to go to where they are waiting!”

“Yes, way. Don’t be silly, Neku. It’s more dangerous if I stay here.”

“Why don’t you remove it?”

“Isn’t it painfully obvious? I can’t. That’s like having a psychiatrist diagnose himself,” he replied derisively.

“Is there anyone who can?”

“In Shibuya?” Joshua laughed bitterly. “There was. Megumi.”

Neku winced, all concern and dread now. “Um, what about Mr. H?”

“Put simply, you need two components to remove it, the necessary knowledge and the ability. Sanae has the ability, as do a number of others. Megumi was the only one in Shibuya who had both. Ironic, isn’t it?”

“Then... You’re really... You’re giving up? You’re just going to give up and die?! Weren’t you the one who said that if you give up on yourself, you give up on the world?!”

“I won’t die if I stay here, Neku. You will,” he said bluntly, rising to his feet. “If I’d known about this yesterday, I would have broken the pact with you as soon as we landed behind Pork City and teleported back to the River from there. This poison is meant to make me go berserk in my Noise form, keeping me in the UG, so the right person can come claim my seat. It won’t kill me, Neku; it will make me kill you. I thought you said you didn’t plan on letting me do that again?”

The former Player looked away, an arm crossed over his chest. “I don’t.”

“Then don’t stop me, Neku. I’ve already tried to consume your Soul today, more than once. The next time, I might not be able to stop myself. No sense in dying over someone you don’t even like, hm?”

Neku stood unsteadily as he approached. “Screw you, Josh. Let me finish,” his Partner said hoarsely, wrapping thin arms around him without warning. “Look, I don’t like you, but... But it feels right somehow, when you say or do things that make me want to punch your face in, when you’re picking out four-hundred-thousand-yen shoes at Pegaso Atelier, when you’re trying out EGL dresses at Lapin Angelique, when you’re lying beside me as I draw or making dinner in my kitchen while humming Austrian folk songs. It doesn’t make any sense, I know, and I...I never thought I’d see the day, but all this time... All this time that you weren’t here? Yeah, I was mad; yeah, I resented you, and I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forgive you, but most of all, Josh, I missed you, goddammit! Stop pushing me away, and most of all, for crying out loud, stop lying to me!! I don’t like you, but I’ll be damned if I let you get erased! If I couldn’t pull the trigger myself, what makes you think I’d be okay with someone else doing it, you ass?! I told you, didn’t I? Yesterday. That... That I’d care.” He paused, uncertain. “I’d care a lot,” he added at length.

Joshua closed his eyes in resignation. After a long moment of silence, he giggled softly and returned the embrace. “My, my... My little Neku’s growing up~ I suppose this is what people call ‘being in love’? After all, I once heard that you can be in love with someone, but still hate that person.”

Neku’s cheeks were hot against his skin, but instead of vehemently denying it, he chuckled. “You don’t say.”

At any other time, Joshua would call this an improvement. Inexplicably passing out seemed to be a remarkably effective tactic with his proxy. He should try it again sometime. “Hmph, took you long enough. Really, Neku, do you try to be complicated? You don’t like it when I put you in danger, but you get even more upset when I try to keep you out of it.”

Neku opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again after a moment. “Rrgh, fine. This is easier than explaining.” Reaching into his pocket, he fished out the Player Pin and tossed it across the room at the couch.

In the flood of thought that immediately rushed his senses, the Composer realized that he simply would not be able to get past Neku to the door at this point. That certainly complicated things; imprinting was quite ineffective when the subject was vehemently opposed to the idea being imprinted. Now that Neku knew he cared, the boy was dead set against letting him leave, especially on his account, something about how he didn’t want a repeat of ‘that time with Enishi.’ Enishi? Ah, the friend that died on his way to meet him at the mural some years back and the cause of that unsociable personality; deep down inside, the silly boy still blamed himself for it.

He shook his head before resting it on his Partner’s shoulder. _Silly Neku, a love confession is by far the worst strategy for the result you’re aiming to achieve._ He hid a sigh; it was time to try a different tack, the rules be damned. Neku would probably be livid when he found out, but at least he’d live to be furious. Alternatively, he could alter Neku’s memories of the last few days, but he couldn’t afford to risk using his powers that much. “Well, come on then,” he said, stepping away from the door. “You don’t plan on standing here all night, do you?”

Neku eyed him suspiciously as he held out his hand.

Joshua laughed. “My, my, such unkind thoughts you have of me.”

“Well, it’s significantly harder to think kindly of you.” Neku warily took the offered hand and let Joshua lead him to the room. _Speaking of all night, how much time do you have?_

“Ouch. I’m hurt, Neku,” Joshua deadpanned as he sat down on the bed. Lifting his sleeve to reveal the mark on his left arm, he answered, “Till this sigil is complete.” It was a half-formed picture now. “By my best estimate, that will likely be tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s not much,” Neku remarked glumly, sitting down beside him.

He flopped back gracelessly onto the bed. “Yes, well, no sense worrying about it.”

It probably wasn’t the right moment, but he might not get another chance, so Neku lay down beside the Composer and quietly asked, “Why me?”

Joshua turned to him, amused. “Haven’t I already told you?”

“Yes, but I didn't get a real answer.”

“Eri did. Don’t you remember, dear, at the curry house?”

He did. “You were serious?”

“Of course. I don’t lie for no reason.”

Yes, yes, only Joshua almost always had a reason.

The other smiled wistfully as he crawled under the covers. “I’m the Composer, Neku. It’s in the job description.”

“To lie?” Neku clarified as he slid beneath the covers as well, skeptical.

“Mm, remembering that is already more than you should know.”

“Did all the Players get to return to life?”

“Not all.” Neku was about to protest, but Joshua pressed two fingers to his lips to silence him. “While some parts of our Game were invalid, the basic tenet still holds. If you don’t win, you don’t have the Imagination it takes to earn a choice in your next destination. Those who were fairly erased within the system stay that way, Reaper and Player alike,” he finished in a tone that brooked no argument.

Neku sighed resignedly. He didn’t like it, but he wasn’t the Composer.

Joshua grinned. “You could be. It’s simple enough.”

“Not interested, and that’s not funny.” Still, if he were, maybe he’d agree with his Partner.

Joshua sighed his name into his ear and wrapped slender arms around him, snuggling closer. It was the strangest feeling, lying in bed entwined in each other’s arms. Once, he’d thought he might someday end up here with Shiki. It had always seemed far more likely, and nothing could ever change her importance to him or take her place in his heart, but being with Joshua under the covers now, it all seemed so perfect. He wasn’t sure when or what had changed, but he wouldn’t trade the teasing giggle in his ear for her warm chuckle, the hard angles pressed against him for her soft curves or the amused tenderness in lilac eyes for the gentle affection in her brown ones.

“Do you know, Neku, I’ve been Shibuya’s Composer for so long that it’s increasingly difficult to remember my brief life before it? I wonder if Sanae feels that way about being an Angel. Maybe one day after I Ascend, I’ll start to feel that way about being the Composer. Hee hee~ Eternity is such a very long time.”

“Don’t say that, you ass. You’re not going anywhere.”

The other laughed. “In that case, you’d best do something about keeping me here, hm?” His slender fingers fiddled with fastenings playfully. “Though I should warn you, dear: I never share.”

Neku rolled his eyes. “As if I’d let you change your mind.”


	6. You've Left Me Speechless

It was the cold that woke Neku. He felt damp and sticky, and the room smelled, bluntly put, of sex. That was hardly surprising, but cold...it shouldn’t be cold. He groaned, sitting up sluggishly. Something wasn’t right. Then it hit him.

“Joshua?!” he called, climbing out of bed. He didn’t have to try twice; their mental link was gone too. _Stupid, Neku, stupid..._ Of course that was what the ass would do. He should have known better.

He ran into the bathroom for a quick shower, dressed quickly, grabbed all the pins he’d need and sprinted out of the apartment. There was only one place the Composer could have gone, and he mentally berated himself as he took off towards the River as swiftly as his legs could carry him. There was no time to call Shiki or Beat and explain things. He had a sinking feeling he was too late, that some random Angel had already erased his insufferable snot of a Partner, and he’d never get to choke the bastard himself. The thought was like a dead weight in his chest.

“Goddammit, Josh. Why the hell do you always have to be like this?!” he muttered angrily as he reached the Scramble Crossing by Ten-Four.

“Ah!!”

“Ow!”

In the sudden crowd, he’d hurtled right into someone, sending them both crashing to the ground. Picking himself up, he got a better look at his victim, a girl with shoulder-length auburn curls and jade green eyes dressed in black skinny jeans and a green jeogori. Slung over her shoulders was what appeared to be an electric guitar case. There was something oddly familiar about her, but he couldn’t quite remember where he’d seen her before. The metal heels of her boots clacked loudly on the asphalt as she stood and dusted herself off.

_Screw it, I don’t have time for this._ “Um, sorry. Gotta run,” he told her, turning towards Hachiko.

“Ah, you again!” she exclaimed before he could even step away.

“What? Hey, look. I don’t care what this is about. Save it for another day. I’m in a hurry.” He started running.

“No, no, wait!”

“Why the hell are you following me?!”

“Sakuraba Neku.”

He stopped. _What. The. Hell._

“You’re Sakuraba Neku, right? Finally, a stroke of luck.”

This time, he turned with a battle stance. “Who are you, and how do you know my name?”

“Whoa, calm down. Yohan told me to find you. I came from Kudanshita because we heard Shibuya is in trouble.”

“Yohan?”

The girl held up both hands to show she wouldn’t try anything and stepped closer. “My twin brother, the Composer of Chiyoda. A few years ago, we beat the last Composer. He took the throne and returned me to life.”

“How does he know me?”

“He’s met Mister Kiryuu, and you’re pretty famous in the UG, you know?” She laughed. “News gets around. How many people can say they’ve beaten the Game thrice? Most people don’t even play more than once. Anyway, Yohan said I should find you. Orange hair, brightest Soul in the crowd...sounds spot on to me.”

“Well, you’ve found me, so what do you want?”

She ran a hand through her hair. “Probably the same thing you do. You might be aware of this, but Shibuya has a great influence on other grounds, and none greater than within Tokyo itself. If Shibuya falls, the rest of Tokyo is dead in the water. Yohan can’t leave Chiyoda, naturally, so he asked me to come check things out, which was precisely what I was doing when you bumped into me at the ramen place the other day. I’d ask you to tell me the deal with the weird shadow people this place is infested with, but...” She shifted the case and opened it to pull out a maroon and white electric guitar as she glared over his left shoulder. “I think they’re on to us already.”

“What?!” he spun around and searched the crowd. At first, he didn’t see them, but then he noticed the shadows surrounding them. “They’re even attacking in the Scramble now?! Crap, I can’t fight them like this!”

“Bold, aren’t they? Look, I know we’ve just met and all, but this isn’t the time for details. Yohan taught me how to make pacts in the RG, and dying here won’t serve either one of us. May I?”

Neku looked at her warily. _She knows too much, and I don’t know how much of her story checks out._ A pair of shadows moved in closer. _Crap, I’m out of options! Ugh, best to run with it for now._ “Gotcha. I’ll make a pact with you for now.”

He felt the light link them both just as the shadows lunged towards them. “Look alive! Here they come!”

As they were pulled into the Noise plane, he heard her voice in his mind. _Hey, can you hear me? If we’re to fight in sync, I expect you’ll need to know how I fight. Basically, I attack using sound waves from my guitar and my voice. Just think higher, lower or equal pitch, and let me worry about the finer details. Am I making sense?_

It sounded simple enough, probably simpler than Beat’s. _Got it. Let’s do this!_

He dodged the incoming blades and sent projectiles in return, summoning flames beneath the shadow in quick succession. In response, it tossed an orb into the air that exploded in ice shards. He couldn’t avoid them, so he used Dark Saturn and barrelled into his opponent to take full advantage of it.

_The blades are likely poisoned,_ he warned, backing away and sending lightning bolts at the target.

_No shit. Keep moving. If you stand in one place for too long, it’ll try to freeze you._

It shot a familiar looking ray at him, which he evaded in the nick of time. _Don’t get hit by the ray._

She laughed. _How about just “Don’t get hit”?_

_Good call._ He kept up the assault, evading when necessary. _Easier said than done._

_Have a little faith. I’ve beaten the Game too, you know. You’re on your way to see Mister Kiryuu, aren’t you?_

He sent flames at his enemy darkly. _Yeah... Even if it might already be too late._

_Then we can’t afford to waste time here._ Another fusion star charged the Harmonizer pin. _Think this suffices?_

_Worth a shot._ He activated it, feeling the pull of energies. “Turn it up!”

“Blast away!”

Giant speakers sent sound waves at the enemies as the pair crashed into them on a giant guitar. The sound dislodged pieces of buildings, dropping chunks of rock and debris on them. Neku heard the static burst even before the attack was over and was thoroughly glad to be back in the RG when it ended.

“Heh, that’s how it’s done.”

“Come on! Before the rest arrive!”

Neku didn’t have to be reminded twice. He quickly ran after her, taking the lead at Hachiko and leading the girl towards the Station Underpass. Joshua. They had to reach Joshua. She didn’t seem to be an Angel at any rate and held her own decently in battle, so maybe it would be worth keeping her around for now.

“Eh, there’s a wall. Do you have the keypin for it?”

He stopped in front of the Wall. “No...” Naturally, he didn’t get to keep any of the keypins he had acquired in the third week, least of all this one. Just when he needed to get inside the River most. “Ugh,” he grunted, punching the Wall. Only his hand passed right through it, so he ended up hitting thin air. “Huh?”

“We’re in the RG, so the Wall won’t physically keep us out, but it might keep us from accessing the UG only part of this place. We might get all the way to the end, and it’ll just be a normal sewer to us. Any ideas?”

He thought for a long moment, then started walking quickly. “There’s a door further in that can only be seen when we scan, even from the UG. We could try to get in directly by scanning there.”

“All right. We’ll try that. Hm, Yohan says it should work as long as the door hasn’t been sealed as well.”

“Huh?”

“Hm? Oh! Yohan and I were born with a really strong psychic connection. We’ve always been able to sense each other’s emotions no matter how far we were apart. Ever since he became the Composer, we’ve been able to exchange specific thoughts. He figured that since he can’t leave, the best he can do to help is send someone who can pass along information from him.” She followed him further into the sewer. “Say, I heard that you won the Game three times, and Mister Kiryuu himself was your Partner once, right?”

He glanced sideways at her suspiciously. “How much do you know?”

“Eh? Hm...” She paused thoughtfully. “Sketchy details, I suppose? It was the talk of the UG at the time. I heard Mister Kiryuu was going to destroy Shibuya, which is why every Composer in Japan knows about it. In any case, it seems his Conductor begged him to stay his hand, so he agreed to give Mister Kitaniji a chance to save it by playing the Game and picked a proxy instead of playing personally to keep the playing ground roughly even. Then he found out that the Game Master for the second week was this guy who’d been after his throne. I heard that the guy’s a weirdo, but a powerful one. You met him, right? Is that true?”

“The Grim Heaper? Yeah, definitely a powerful whack-job,” he agreed. _Well, I suppose her story’s plausible._

She chuckled. “Sounds like an interesting sort. I’d like to meet him sometime. Anyway, I heard that, contrary to what he’d told Mister Kitaniji earlier, he decided to play the Game personally with you to protect you from that guy.”

_To protect me or to make sure I wouldn’t shoot him at the end? I suppose he did block that attack on the last day, but for me or for his victory? Rrgh, Neku, what are you thinking about now? Didn’t you decide that it doesn’t matter?_

“Hey, you two!” They froze at the voice as they were about to enter the Rubicon. “Hold it right there!” They turned to the left to see three Reapers approaching. One glimpse at the blond in the front, and Neku realized with a start why that voice had sounded familiar. “Heh, I knew you two could see us. Oh hey, my man, I remember you. Ugh, you the cause of this Emergency Call again, bro?”

“W—Wait, 777?! A—Aren’t you..?!”

“Erased? Yeah, I guess I was. But then the Composer brought me back, so I won’t let anyone get to Him. I don’t like owin’ people, you hear me? So no can do, bro, not even you.”

Neku clenched his fists, looking resolutely at concrete. “Why would I want to harm him? He’s... He’s...” _What, not just a friend anymore..? A...A lover? I don’t even know if last night was just a distraction to get me away from the door._ He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. “He’s important to me,” was what he settled for at last, pushing those thoughts away. “Let me through. Please. I need to see him. And I’d rather not have to erase you guys to do it.”

“...we were told not to let anyone pass,” Tenho said from behind. “Besides, who’s the chick?”

“Me?” She seemed surprised by the sudden attention. “I’m—”

“Kirikawa Maya,” BJ spoke up for the first time suddenly, quiet.

“Eh?!” 777 exclaimed suddenly. “The Kirikawa Maya? Of Ura Parade? No wonder I thought you looked familiar!”

“Ah, Def March has heard about us? What an honour!” Maya said, clapping her hands, clearly delighted. “I had no idea you guys were Reapers though. This is a real surprise!”

“Hey, you’re an indie sister. ‘Course we keep up! And you can even see the UG! Rock!! Say, word on the street is you guys are playing at that fashion show in two weeks. That happenin’?”

Neku hid his surprise. _Huh...a rising indie artist? Guess I didn’t give this girl enough credit. She did beat the Game._

“Hell yeah! I’m super excited! Ruka’s writing a new song, and Karin just got her new electric violin. Her friend’s brother is trying out for drummer next week, so we might get a new member if he’s a good fit. Give some of our music a bit more of a rock edge, you know? If people like us, we might get signed or at least a debut gig. I can’t wait!”

“Meteoric! Even so, you a fan, BJ? You recognized our sis here on sight, bro!”

“M—Me?!” The black-hooded Reaper stammered, looking up suddenly. “O—Of c—”

“AH! It’s you!!” Maya cried suddenly, pointing at BJ as she caught sight of his face.

“GAH!!”

“Hmm?” Tenho glanced from BJ to Maya and back, confused. “What—”

“You’re that guy from back then!! Back when we first started playing the club circuit, doing covers and stuff. The one that was hanging around that bar on Spain Hill all the time! The one that stole my number from the office!!”

“Wh—What?! How did—”

“About a year ago!! You’re the one that called me from a pay phone like some kind of creep, right?!!”

Neku blinked. Pay phone? A year ago? That sounded familiar. In his memory, he heard Joshua’s voice. _“You weren’t at Dogenzaka. You were chatting up some tramp near Molco.” Eh?! Then that lady friend..._

“AHHHHH!!”

“Bro, you serious?!” 777 turned to his bandmate, shocked.

“No wonder she blew you off, man,” Tenho added quietly, pressing his palm to his brow.

_Talk about coming full circle..._ Neku winced. “Uh, dude, even if the Phone Booth of Love actually worked, it couldn’t have fixed your situation. Speaking of which...”

“Right. Guys, you’ve gotta let him through.” Maya indicated him. “Your Composer needs him.”

“H—How do you figure? A—And what about you?” BJ countered in a failed attempt at haughtiness. “Y—”

777 held up his hand. “Naw, I believe them. Phones here is a good sort, and he’s already had his chance to take the Composer out. Heh, come to think of it, not like we can stop him anyway. I couldn’t do it while he was a Player, and he’ll be stronger alive. Be glad he ain’t the one we got to keep out, boys.”

“...sure. Best of luck. I should warn you; Uzuki and Kariya are waiting up ahead,” Tenho added.

_Those two again?! Ugh, no matter. Whatever it takes, I have to do this!_ He nodded. “...Thanks. Now, come on, we’ve wasted enough time!” He started sprinting towards the Room of Reckoning.

“Thanks, guys! We should play a show together sometime!” Maya called over her shoulder, running after him.

“Huff... Huff...” Neku slowed down as they approached the Dead God’s Pad, panting heavily. “If...we haven’t...seen them yet...then they must be up ahead.”

“Huff... Hah... Got it. We’d better...pause...and prepare for a fight.”

They kept walking, but slowly to catch their breaths. “...Ura Parade, huh? I should check your music out sometime.”

She chuckled breathlessly. “Mm, will you both be coming to the show?”

“Huh? Both who?”

“You and Mister Kiryuu, of course! Our music probably won’t meet his standards though.”

He kept looking straight ahead. “What makes you think he’ll come if I asked?”

“Won’t he? Weren’t you two together at the ramen place that day? That was him, right? You most definitely called him ‘Josh’ when you bumped into me... I spent most of yesterday worrying I’d never find you again.”

“Ah...Right.” _That’s right; she did say something about that earlier. Crap, I didn’t even notice that was her. Careless, Neku. It could have been an Angel._ He glanced sideways. _Not that there’s any guarantee she isn’t... Still, I guess if she’s going for public fame, maybe not? Mr. H probably doesn’t do public appearances as CAT because of that, right?_

“So you must be really important to him if he’s breaking the Rules for you.”

“The rules? Oh, you mean by not erasing my memories of him?”

“That and by seeing you again in the RG with you fully aware of his identity. Composers can’t maintain relationships with RG folks. They’re supposed to be objective beings, see. The Higher-Ups were going to punish Yohan over me too. That is, until they realized we weren’t consciously trying to stay in touch. We simply can’t break our psychic link. If we just think of each other, we’ll be mentally connected. It’s hardwired into our Soul or something, apparently.”

_...so that’s what he meant when he said he was breaking one that day. Is that why he disappeared for a whole year? If that’s the case, then all the more... Maybe I don’t understand him. Maybe he’s right, and it’s impossible, so I never will. But as long as there’s something real..._

“But that’s why Shibuya can’t fall now, you know?”

“Huh?” She’d continued speaking for sometime while he’d been zoned out in his own thoughts.

“Hm? I said Shibuya’s the birthplace of movements, trends, ideas, culture... I grew up by Kudanshita, near Burokan, and every morning, I’d wake up, and right outside my window, I’d see that great arena. And I’d tell myself, someday, I want to sing a concert there.” Maya turned to look at him as they walked on, her green eyes bright. “I’m going to start there, then tour the world. That’s why Yohan sent me back, you know? I said I’d be the one to take the throne, or at least be his Conductor, but he insisted...and picked our cousin, Miharu, instead.” She looked away. “We died together in that accident, the three of us, on that road trip to Sendai. Some stupid car ran a red light and crashed into us. Her brother, Yuuichi, was the only one that survived and even then, he’s... A—Anyway, Yohan told me I had to be the one to come back... Because I had to live that dream, because he believed I’d be a legend! So I can’t give up; I can’t let him down. And A-East is the first step. The energy of Shibuya has always been special. It’s like...a podium, a podium standing in the eyes of the world. Shibuya’s going to be the place that makes or breaks us, but that’s why it’s important. That’s why I can’t let it fall!”

_Heh, who would have thought? I guess everyone’s got a reason. Huh... Come to think of it, all this talk of podiums and stuff... Where have I heard it before?_

They entered the Dead God’s Pad, and Maya whistled. “Wow, I guess Shibuya’s definitely a unique place. A bar in a sewer? Now I’ve seen everything. I—Is that an aquarium in the floor?”

“You don’t say,” Neku muttered.

“Who’s there?! Eh?! You again, kiddo?!” Yashiro Uzuki stood by the beige settee Kariya Koki was lounging on.

The blond gave a lazy wave, twirling the bean paste in his mouth. “Easy, girl. Hey, kids. How goes?”

Neku got into a battle stance. “Don’t stop us. We don’t have time for this.”

“Zing! Where’s the love? Now that we’ve met again after all this time~”

“So, like, what? Trying to take over the UG? Didn’t you get your chance?” Uzuki struck a battle stance herself. “No matter. If I stop you, that’ll mean another promotion for me~ So be a sweetheart and help a girl out, ‘kay?!”

“Whoa, cowgirl, slow it down,” Kariya cut in. “I doubt they’re the people we’re trying to keep out.”

“Yeah, save the fight for the real villains,” Maya added, arms crossed. “Come to think of it, now’s as good a time as any to bring us all up to speed. Yohan said those were the shadows of an Angel that we fought. Just what is going on here?”

“...shadows?” Kariya repeated, his expression suddenly tight. “Did you just say shadows with a second ‘S’?”

“Uh-huh. All over the city out there. Haven’t you seen?”

“Naw, been down here working. Ugh. I’m sick of this job. I miss being in the field.”

“Look, I don’t have all the details, but J—The Composer was being followed some days back. They even made Taboo Noise to smoke him out. The next day, these shadows appeared and started hunting him en masse. I don’t know why. And now he’s poisoned to go berserk in his Noise form, and—”

“He’s p—no wonder he barricaded himself in the Room of Reckoning and told everyone to keep out...” Kariya looked grave. “High level Angels after the Composer with stealth and poison? Ugh, something about this REALLY stinks.”

“Hey, look, this is a waste of time. I need to go.” Neku headed towards the back of the room.

“Wait! Ugh, Kariya! What are you DOING?! Our orders are to let no one pass!! You may want to get demoted, but I don’t!!” Uzuki screeched. “Do something!!

“Naw, Uzuki,” Kariya replied, still not having moved from his position on the couch. “Lay a finger on the Composer’s pet, and you can kiss your career goodbye. We’re not meant to stop Phones here.”

“Pet? The C—but if we REALLY weren’t supposed to? And what about the girl?”

“It’s rude to talk about someone like they’re not there, you know. The name’s Maya. The Composer of Chiyoda sent me.”

“Chiyoda? To do what?! Why does Chiyoda care what happens in Shibuya?!”

“We care plenty. If Shibuya falls, much of Tokyo will soon follow. Our side is acting in self-interest too.”

“Let them go, Uzuki.”

“But Kariya! If something happens and we’re found out...”

Kariya shrugged, unwrapping another stick of bean paste. “I’ll take responsibility as Acting Conductor.”

“Acting Conductor?” Neku echoed. “So you’re the guy he suckered into doing the job.”

“Exactly! That’s the word! ‘Suckered.’ Or maybe ‘blackmailed!’ Point is he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Neku couldn’t help grinning slightly. “That sounds like him, all right.”

“Ugh, fine.” Uzuki sat down by Kariya’s feet on the couch sullenly. “Once you see him, what will you do, kiddo?”

Neku faltered for a moment as he reached for his Player Pin. “I don’t know. He told me that the only person in Shibuya who could ‘cure’ him is...was Shades, so I don’t... But even so, I have to go. There must be something I can do!”

“Kitaniji, huh?” Kariya tilted his head back to look at him upside down, bean paste in his mouth. “That’s a cryin’ shame, I suppose, an ironic cryin’ shame. Well, then what?”

“Hm?” Maya seemed to listen to something intently for several seconds before speaking. “Yohan says that if you had a strong connection with him from before he was poisoned, you should be able to as well.”

“There, ‘atta boy! You should be all set.”

“What? How do you figure that?” _I have no idea where to even start!_

“Yo, Phones, you know that the Composer likes to sit on the roof of Ten-Four and watch the city?”

“Uh...no?” _And this is relevant how?_

“Well, he does. Never tires of it too. Does it every week. Funny thing is...he only does it on Saturdays.”

“Saturdays?” Neku’s eyes widened. _Wait, that’s... That’s the day of our weekly get-togethers when we’re not on summer vacation! And from the roof of Ten-Four, you can see..._

“Looks like that’s got some kinda meaning to you. Now, weren’t you two in a hurry?”

“...yeah, I’m going.” He gripped the Player Pin and scanned, finding the hidden doorway. _Wait for me, Josh. Hang in there. I’ll find a way, no matter what it takes!_ He disappeared into the door without looking back.

In the meantime, Uzuki glared at her Partner. “Are you sure this is okay, Kariya?”

“C’mon, girl, take it easy while you can. It won’t be long before those shadows show up.” He twirled his snack. “And ‘sides, if all else fails, and Phones ends up taking down the Composer, he’ll make a fine Composer himself. Now let’s do our part and hold down the fort here. If all goes well, girl, you might get your promotion yet. Buy me a bowl of ramen when this is all over?”

“Hey, no fair! You’d still get paid more than I do!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Cyril Benoit let his fingers dance over the piano keys without thought, the music flowing easily to him. Once upon a time, he’d wanted to be a manga artist, but he was never as talented at drawing as he was with the piano. At any rate, he hadn’t had much time to explore other options. Behind him, the grandfather clock struck six, and Eliza rose from where she had been sitting in the armchair he usually occupied when he wasn’t at the grand piano.

“That should be enough time for the poison to completely take hold. Who will go to collect, Lord Cyril?”

“I’m sure Mirabelle would be affronted if we didn’t let her do the honours,” he answered without even a pause in his playing. “She’s been rearing for payback since the day we started.”

“Then I will let her know. Should I go with her?”

“It might be prudent for you to distract the small fry while she carries out the main objective. N— The boy with the orange hair, she might have to fight him before or with the Composer himself.”

“There is one more thing you should know. Chiyoda has made its move.”

He stopped playing. “Tsk. I was hoping, for once, that they wouldn’t interfere.” Rising, he closed his eyes, perpending the situation. “Still... Proceed as planned, Eliza,” he said at length. “I will watch closely and step in if necessary.”

“As you wish, Lord Cyril.” She bowed once, then exited.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Running through the Trail of the Judged, Neku took in the sight of CAT’s graffiti all around him. The last time he’d been here, the left wall had been completely covered, while the right wall was a quarter of the way done. Now the right wall was two-thirds of the way covered in mural. There really was no art like CAT’s. Every square inch of it screamed ‘Enjoy the moment more!’ He’d been in awe for half his life now, since he’d first discovered CAT. It had given him inspiration, both in art and in life. He’d never dreamed he would someday know the artist personally.

_Speaking of which, I wonder where Mr. H is..?_

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks at the end of the painted two-thirds. The last few feet of painted wall weren’t CAT’s work. He walked closer. A winged unicorn looked like it was about to take off on the far left against a backdrop of skyscrapers and other urban buildings. Beneath it, on asphalt, lay a pair of blue headphones. The raised wings disintegrated midway into feathers that billowed to the right, slowly morphing into rose petals that gradually formed butterflies. Its tail flowed into a huge tidal wave, the water curling up and over at the far right, and in the middle of it all, in the roughly circular space formed between the unicorn’s wings and the wave, sat a furry brown dog in a pose and likeness that was recognized the world over. Hachiko. He knew this picture well.

This was the sketch he’d made at Molco, only every detail had been painted to perfection here, complete with all the edits he’d wanted to make; it looked exactly as he’d envisioned, an ideal work he didn’t yet have the skill to paint. The blending of the paint for the unicorn’s shimmery coat and the dog’s shaggy fur had been done beautifully in a muted realistic style that flowed seamlessly from the tail into the stylized bright blue wave and contrasted with the stylized buildings behind it. The stylized purplish blue headphones contrasted starkly with the realistically textured grey asphalt it was on. The realistic wings and feathers slowly curled into rose petals that darkened, shifted and merged into the shape of butterflies, growing increasingly stylized as they underwent the transformation. He exhaled the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He only wished he could paint like this; someone had given his vision life.

_Mr. H..? But he’s never seen it. Did Josh show him? But he’s never even seen the edited version of the sketch. And why would he paint this? Why here?_ He touched the painted surface. It rippled. _Huh?_ And then everything was abruptly enveloped in a radiant white light. He shaded his eyes, but couldn’t make out anything. “W—What. The. Hell?”

“Predictable, Neku.”

He spun at the sound of that voice. “J-J-Joshua! You’re... You’re okay!!” He ran towards the boy, but just as he was about to reach him, the Composer vanished. “What...”

“I knew you’d come.” He turned again. Joshua had reappeared behind him, a hand in the pocket of his expensive slacks, staring wistfully off into the distance. “Unfortunately, this is just a...oh, call it a recording of sorts, shall we? How do you like the painting, Neku? I reproduced it from the mental image I saw of how you’d ideally like it to look.”

“A recording? You reproduced it? Then...”

“I suppose, since I can’t keep you out of this, the next best thing I can do is give you the power to defeat me by granting you access to the energy of Shibuya, and you’d definitely know to check this place. Super CAT fanboy that you are, you’d notice the smallest thing out of place, hm?” He giggled, twirling a lock of silver hair around his finger.

“D—Defeat you? Will you cut the crap, Josh?! I’m not erasing y—”

“You know, one could say Shibuya is my life’s work. I’d rather destroy it than see it fall to ruin. I’ve been Composer longer than I’ve been alive, after all. You understand, don’t you, dear?” Joshua kept speaking without waiting for him to finish, stepping closer. “Naturally, I know my replacement will be better...because I’ve already chosen.”

Neku clenched his fists. “Goddammit, Josh, stop saying such selfish things! Y—”

“I can see how this must unsettle you. Maybe we shouldn’t have spent all that quality time together, hm?” Slender fingers caressed his jawline, tilting his chin up to make him meet an unusually gentle lilac gaze.

It all felt so real; it was hard to believe it was just a ‘recording.’ God, even a ‘recording’ of Joshua made him want to punch the prick’s face in. “Don’t screw with me, Josh!” he yelled, pulling away, more for his own satisfaction than anything else. He knew the real one couldn’t hear him, and even when he could, he didn’t listen. Neku doubted this one could process his input either.

“Hee hee~ Surely you care enough not to let me die by some stranger’s hand, hm?”

“You bastard,” he whispered, looking down to hide his face, voice hoarse and choked. “You devious, manipulative, heartless bastard.” His vision swam. “D—Don’t you dare, goddammit!”

“Neku,” the other said his name softly, the way he had only the night before sighed it into his ear as they lay entwined in his bed together. “You’ll do it for me, won’t you?”

“Stop it, Josh. Please stop...” he heard himself plead. It was like a leaden ball of cold fire had sunk into the pit of his stomach. _God damn it all... You always do this, Josh; you always do this to me. Why, why, WHYYYYYY?!!_

“Oh, and since you’re you, I expect you’ll have blown last night completely out of proportion.”

Neku’s eyes widened. “B—Blow...” he spluttered in his sudden rage, shaking. “T—THE GALL YOU HAVE, KIRYUU YOSHIYA!! BLOWN IT OUT OF PROPORTION?! YOU ASS!! YOU GIVE ME ALL THIS BULLCRAP ABOUT THE...THE ‘QUALITY’ TIME WE SPENT TOGETHER, ASK ME TO ERASE YOU MYSELF, AND NOW YOU TELL ME I’M BLOWING THINGS OUT OF PROPORTION?!! SCREW YOU, JOSH!! I’M—”

“Since you’re my dear, dear partner, I suppose I’ll say this much,” Joshua continued as if he hadn’t said a thing, hands cupping his face, and smiled the least smug, most sincere smile he’d ever seen in the history of their acquaintance. “It wasn’t just a diversion.”

Whatever he had been about to say next, he lost. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but no words came, and he just stared at the silver-haired boy helplessly. He could barely even breathe.

“Hee hee~ Your face is priceless, partner.” The image of the Composer levitated off what appeared to be the ‘ground’ in this formless white space. “I know you’ll do a bang-up job as Composer, dear.” He floated and leaned closer, tilting Neku’s face up and looking right into flabbergasted blue eyes. “I was happy, Neku. You’ll remember me, won’t you?” Then Joshua kissed him, the image bursting into feathers, and he was blinded once more by the white light.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kirikawa Maya had only just caught up to her temporary Partner, who seemed quite absorbed by one particular segment of the beautiful and vibrant mural covering the walls of this part of the sewer, when the other suddenly staggered backwards from the wall, eyes blank and distant as if something terrible had been burned into his mind. To her horror, the boy didn’t stop, stumbling backwards blindly.

“H—Hey!!” She darted forward to grab his arm, steadying him not a moment too soon. He had been one step away from falling into Shibuya River sludge. “Hello, you in there?” She shook him when there was no response. “Hey! Snap out of it, dude! You hear me?! Neku? Neku!”

He seemed to come to his senses then, much to her relief. “Y—Yeah...” He shook his head as if to clear it as she let go.

“Whew, that was close! Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he said more firmly this time. Gingerly, he lifted a hand to his cheek. He closed his eyes, remembering the unmistakable tenderness in a certain demigod’s touch. _I won’t falter anymore. I don’t know the first thing about this girl, but if she can help me save Joshua, I’ll deal with the devil. Any clue is better than none at all. Trust your Partner, right?_ He opened his eyes and turned towards the Room of Reckoning. “Come on. All those distractions have cost us way too much time.”

“It looks sealed though,” she observed in response as they walked towards it. “Hm?”

He blinked, realizing he could see the Wall as well. He’d never been able to see Walls before. Was this what Joshua had meant by giving him access to the energy of Shibuya? “Well, we’ll have to get through somehow.”

“Eh? Yohan says to just try entering first.” She blinked. “It seems that according to the sigils on the seal, it’s supposed to recognize a specific kind of energy. If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to either find that energy or break in. I hope we don’t have to break in.”

“A specific kind of energy?” He approached the barrier. _As in Shibuya’s?_ He reached out to touch it. True enough, his hand passed right through. _He really expects me to erase him personally, that prick._

“Well, that solves it! Let’s hope our Pact means I can get in too.” She tried edging her foot across the line first. It didn’t keep her out either. “Sweet! Now, let’s get this show on the road!”

They ran into the vast chamber together, their footsteps echoing loudly. There didn’t appear to be anyone in the room. “Josh? Joshua!” he called, looking around frantically.

Abruptly, Maya gave a shout. “Look out!” An all too familiar beam of blue light struck the place he’d been standing in just as Maya barreled into him and knocked them both out of the way. “Up there!” she pointed as they got to their feet.

Looking up, so many things suddenly made perfect sense. It was a gigantic winged unicorn, glowing a white so brilliant that it was almost blue, with a long white serpent for a tail. There were bright cobalt blue markings on the serpent, and over its cobra-like hood something that looked like the multi-coloured feather crown of a phoenix adorned the center of its head. The feathery wings burned bluish white flames at the ends like the wings of a phoenix would if they had been white. Out of the blue, it folded its wings, lowered its head and dived at them. They jumped out of the way just in the nick of time, and it landed between them. The unicorn tossed its long shimmering silver mane as it rose to its full height and regarded him proudly with glowing lilac eyes. Beneath the single horn that glowed with the same lilac light, the Reapers’ skull decal was emblazoned on its forehead in bright red. The serpent hissed at Maya, lunging forward to strike her, but she leaped out of the way again, hurrying to his side. It coiled around, turning a glowing yellow gaze on them both and hissed fiercely as the unicorn scuffed a front hoof against the floor impatiently.

“Joshua..?” he called again, tentatively this time.

As he gazed upon the regal creature before him, ugly black markings glowed faintly on the white, and then the unicorn was rearing up fiercely. They narrowly escaped being stomped upon by rolling away.

“It doesn’t look like we can escape a fight!” Maya shouted, swiftly freeing her guitar from its case. “Pins! Hurry!”

_That’s right! That time against Shades, didn’t we fight in this room too?_ He tested Black Mercury. Sure enough, the orb of water appeared even as beams rained down upon them anew. _Ugh, he really isn’t pulling any punches!_ He used Black Jupiter between evading attacks, sending lightning at his opponent. The serpent darted at him as the lightning struck, but before it could reach him, a blast of sound waves from the side sent it reeling.

“Focus on the horse and leave the snake charming to me!” Maya called, keeping up the assault as she danced around the beams.

“Got it!”

He summoned flames below the unicorn and tried to shut out the way his heart wrenched at the sound of pain that was at once a neigh and a scream, surrounding it with orbs of water before throwing it into the orbs using Black Uranus. Just then, he heard a cry of frustration and turned to find his Partner trapped in a familiar bubble. He aimed and unleashed Black Venus on it, bursting the bubble before the serpent could sink its fangs into it, and she attacked fiercely as she leaped back. It hissed loudly, seemingly in both pain and anger, as it backed away, but his lapse had given the unicorn the time it needed to recover. It charged forward, and they leaped backwards and apart to evade, before rearing up and blowing a blizzard at them. Neku swore as he was hit first, the cold biting into his very bones as ice solidified around his body. It was so cold it hurt, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t even shiver as it got Maya too, and then Joshua was upon him once more, both unicorn and snake poised to strike. He stared up into glowing eyes, wanting close his eyes but unable to look away because it was Joshua and terrifying as the creature moved towards him, and he thought he was going to die, again, erased, right then, and no one would save Joshua or him or Shibuya. Then, for just an instant, it slowed, and in the next, a sharp shrill sound pierced the air, reverberating loudly in the room, and he winced as the ice all around them shattered and their opponent reeled.

“Holy...how did you do that?” he asked loudly, following up with Black Mars and Black Jupiter.

“Many things will break if hit with the right frequency.” she shouted back, evading the serpent’s darting attacks by leaping back towards him. More quietly, now that they were closer, she added, “My psych allows me to create any pitch at will, but most times, I have to experiment to find the right one. I got lucky.”

They darted away from more beams of blue light, but could not escape them all, and the damage was staggering. He swore as he retaliated. They couldn’t take much more of this.

“I hate to break it to you, but you can’t afford to hold back here,” Maya said quietly as they backed into each other.

He felt cold dread sink in. It was true. They couldn’t keep this up. Joshua was far too powerful. He could sense it, the energy of Shibuya just within grasp, waiting for him to draw on it. He hated how it always came down to this: the two of them standing in this room, trying to kill each other. It wasn’t fair. And just like the last time, he’d have gladly taken the shot. Only this time, things weren’t so simple anymore. This time, if he faltered, things wouldn’t fix themselves. Joshua would still be erased, and Shibuya would be ruined. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes.

_“Shibuya is my life’s work. I’d rather destroy it than see it fall to ruin. You’ll do it for me, won’t you?”_

_That’s right. I just promised I wouldn’t falter anymore._

He steeled himself. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let Shiki, Eri, Beat and Rhyme lose their home, the city they’d all met in and fought for, the world Joshua had poured his heart and Soul into. His world. Their world. Finally, he was starting to think he could understand the Partner he’d always thought was more than a little whack. He wouldn’t let their enemies take Shibuya.

“We’re short one star,” he said grimly as he surrounded their opponent with orbs of water.

Maya threw an attack that sent her flying back towards him. “No, Partner.” She turned to give him a sad smile. “You earned it with your answer.” Even as she spoke, the Harmonizer pin glowed. “Ready for the last song?”

Neku didn’t answer as he channelled everything into this final attack. He wouldn’t get another chance. “Goddammit, Josh. You know what I hate the most about you?” he whispered, knowing the Composer would hear it somehow, even if it wouldn’t mean a thing. “You can’t even be the selfish snotty ass you are without first making me love you.”

When the attack connected, Joshua didn’t even make a sound.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All artwork in this chapter by 吸血阿狸


	7. The Scars of Your Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is still August, as I promised.  
> This is un-beta-ed as usual, so let me know if I missed anything.

He’d expected the static burst, the light, the grief. What Neku hadn’t expected was for Joshua’s Noise form to simply collapse to the floor unmoving, for Maya’s caution as she stepped closer to get a better look, for the black markings to flare brightly as he too approached. This time, they didn’t fade.

He sank to his knees. “Joshua..?” he called softly, afraid to hope.

Nothing.

And then, the faintest whimper of pain as the other began to glow faintly.

“H—He’s still here,” Maya breathed.

He gasped, unable to manage much else.

“Oh... Oh God.” She sank to the floor as well. Abruptly, she seemed to snap to attention. “T—The energy of Shibuya! It’s healing him!”

Neku wanted to weep for joy, but he could tell she didn’t mean it as good news. “Isn’t that—”

“If we don’t do something quick, he’ll recover completely and try to kill us again!”

“What?! You can’t— I— Didn’t you say I could ‘cure’ him?”

Maya nodded. “It’s risky. And you can’t make a single mistake. If you do, he won’t really be himself when it’s done. Do you understand?”

Neku fisted his hands in his clothes. “Just tell me!” No matter what it takes. He’d promised.

“You need to remove the corruption from his Music with your Imagination. It’s like...overwriting a file. You replace the corrupted sections with what they ought to sound like.”

“That’s not very helpful.”

Maya grabbed his wrist and pressed his hand to the unicorn’s neck. “Listen.”

He did. But even in complete silence, he couldn’t hear a sound. “I don’t h—”

“Focus! It’s not the kind of Music you hear with your ears.”

He shifted so Joshua’s head rested in his lap and ran his fingers through soft fur that seemed to pass through his hand like light. The Noise made a soft sound, something akin to a whinny. Neku closed his eyes and concentrated, putting everything except Joshua out of his mind. He didn’t have to try very hard.

That’s when he heard it, the sweetest sound, a hauntingly familiar melody. Even as he tried to catch more of it, it was swallowed up in static.

“The static—”

“—is the poison’s corruption,” Maya confirmed. “Sometimes, it’s static. Other times, it’s just the wrong sound. The latter is more difficult to detect, but more easily fixed. The former you will have to forcibly break through. Hurry now. You don’t have much time.”

“Wait, wait. All this about the wrong sound... How will I know what the right sound is?”

She stared at him. “He’s your Partner, Neku. Surely, you know what his Music sounds like.”

Neku stared right back, wide-eyed. “Surely? Where would I have heard it?”

“Whenever your sync rate is at its peak?” She sounded exasperated. Taking a deep breath, she continued more calmly. “Try again. Really listen. Remember. Haven’t you heard it before?”

He closed his eyes once more and strained to hear the Music again. This time, he caught more of it before the static kicked in, but he still couldn’t place it. _Where have I..._

“Don’t you hear something whenever you use a maximum level Fusion attack?”

 _A max level Fusion? That’s it! Just that day against the spiders..._ He thought back, trying his best to recall exactly how the Music went. Come to think of it, heck, he’d heard it sometime last night too, but that probably wasn’t the best reference, since Joshua had already been poisoned by then. Now that he knew when and where he’d heard it, he could remember the melody, and yet... “Argh! I can’t be sure that’s how the second part goes! I know what I heard last night, but what if that isn’t the right one? What if I’m wrong, Maya? What’s the worst case scenario?”

“Injury. Probably some form of psychological trauma. He might never wake up, lose memories or abilities, or become a totally different person,” Maya answered quietly. “Depends on the size of the error.”

“Damn it... If only he hadn’t gone and erased Shades...”

“He’s your Partner, Neku.” She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him emphatically with each word. “I keep telling you: have a little faith. Would he let you come this far if he didn’t trust you?”

“Yeah, he trusted me to kill him and become the next Composer, that prick,” Neku muttered bitterly. “He wouldn’t even tell me how to do this.”

“No shit. The world’s going to hell, and you’re afraid of yourself.”

“Screw you. I’m n—”

“Look, the way I see it, you have three options. Either erase him, let him erase us, or give it your best shot. As a heads up, if you choose to give up on yourself, I’m out of here because I didn’t sign up for erasure when I agreed to help out in Shibuya.” She crossed her arms and waited.

_Give up...on myself..? That’s not..._

“Tick tock, dude. Time to make up your mind.”

Tightening his arms around Joshua, he did. _Give up on yourself, and you give up on the world, right? I’ll be damned if I let you say I never listen._ He closed his eyes, picking up the strings of the other’s Music. “Let’s do this.”

“Sweet! Now, you’re going to have to listen very carefully to his Music. Every time you find a sound that doesn’t match what you remember, you need to...will it to change into the correct sound. Does that make any sense?”

“Got it. What about the static?”

“You press at it till it breaks.”

“Why, thank you, Princess Helpful.”

“Well, gee, I’m sorry there isn’t a handbook for this. Fine.” Suddenly, he felt her presence close by. “I’ll follow along. Every time you run into the static, I’ll break it for you. For everything else, you’re on your own.”

He nodded. “Thanks.” This time, he really was grateful.

At the sound of footsteps, Uzuki leaped to her feet. “Who’s there?!” The sound faded. “Show yourself!!”

Suddenly, she found herself knocked to the ground as something black and shiny zipped by overhead. Kariya was back on his feet in a flash and pulling her up with him. “You okay there, girl? Looks like work’s shown up.”

Cold laughter resounded in the room as two women stepped into the light. “For Reapers, they aren’t too shabby, Eliza. Or perhaps you’re losing your touch?” the blonde asked, taunting.

“Go on ahead, Mirabelle,” replied the one with purple hair, arms crossed, refusing to take the bait. “I’ll handle this.”

“Not so fast, sister.” Kariya moved to intercept Mirabelle as she moved towards the door, but had to leap out of the way of an attack. It was a shadow. As he made to stop the blonde again, more showed up. “Ugh, so you’re the one behind these things.” Mirabelle had already run through the door, so he turned back to face the shadow master. She hadn’t even moved from her spot. With her dark blue strapless mini dress, stiletto heels the colour of her hair and the frosty look on her pale face, she could have been a young Caucasian version of Konishi Mitsuki. Kariya didn’t like the reminder.

“Indeed, Reaper,” she answered coolly, uncrossing her arms. “And I’m afraid I can’t let you interrupt.”

Without waiting for a reply, Eliza and her shadow army charged.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Neku thought it sounded right even if he had no way of knowing for sure. “I thi—”

“What’s your confidence level?” Maya interjected.

“Uh... Eighty percent..?” he estimated as he checked it over one last time.

There was a long pause before she said, sotto voce, “That’s not even statistically acceptable.”

He tightened his arms around Joshua defensively. “I don’t have any way to be more certain than this.”

Maya sighed. “Fine. He’s your Partner, Neku. Do you or do you not believe?”

Before he could even form his answer into words, she was finishing the job. “Maya!”

“You said yes!”

“I d—”

Just then, the Noise in his arms glowed brightly, and he had to shield his eyes with his arm. When the light dimmed, a young man lay in the unicorn’s place, eyes closed as if sleeping and his silver hair in disarray. While taller and older, it was unmistakably Joshua, down to the slightly ruffled designer clothing.

“Looks like you got enough of it right,” Maya observed brightly.

To be honest, Neku still wasn’t sure he dared to hope. Things with Joshua had a way of going wrong. He looked away, crossing an arm over his chest. “We don’t know that.”

His Partner smacked him.

“OW!” He covered his sore shoulder with his hand. “What was that for?!”

“Say it with me: have a little faith.”

“The bloody bastard doesn’t make it easy,” he muttered.

Maya chuckled. “But that’s what gives it value. Hm?” She tensed. “Someone’s coming. I’ll go check it out.”

As she quietly walked over to the door, the head in his lap stirred, and Neku sagged in relief when pale lilac eyes turned on him with recognition.

“Neku..?” The Composer’s lips languidly curved into a smirk. “Predictable.”

“P—Y—YOU ASS!!”

Joshua caught his fist, of course, but didn’t stop Neku from throttling him.

“PREDICTABLE?! IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?! SCREW YOU, JOSH!! WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS?! I KEEP TELLING YOU I’M NOT GOING TO ERASE YOU, DAMN IT, AND I DON’T WANT TO BE THE COMPOSER!! THAT’S YOUR JOB, YOU SELFISH BASTARD!! I’M NOT DOING IT, YOU ASS; NOT NOW, NOT EVER!!”

The other reached up to caress his cheek, soft fingertips brushing away tears he hadn’t known were there, and laughed tiredly, still that infuriating devious chuckle. “So you’re saying I can never retire? Tsk, and you say I’m selfish.”

Neku gripped the hand on his face tightly. “Well, you can bloody well find someone else to do your job that isn’t me.”

Joshua turned away. “Silly Neku. Weren’t you listening to anything I said?” He sighed softly. “I was hoping you wouldn’t come. I’d never be able to live with myself if I let you get erased when I wasn’t around to bring you back. Can’t have Shibuya falling into the wrong hands, after all. But you only ever pay about one yoctogram of attention whenever it matters, so I suppose it’s inevitable. Hee hee~ Fortunately, you did a bang-up job as usual, dear~”

“Y—”

Suddenly, a huge explosion burst forth from the door, and Maya’s scream cut off anything he might have said. The blast sent her flying towards them, and she landed on the floor with a sickening crack.

“MAYA!!”

“Angel...” she managed, choking on blood, more blood than Neku had ever seen in his life. “Scorpion... Run...”

Then Joshua was taking her hand, and everything fell into blinding white.

When he opened his eyes again, they were on Cat Street. Maya was lying unconscious on the ground, and a fifteen-year-old Joshua was doubled over in pain.

“Josh?”

The Composer waved his hands away and straightened. “We need to work on teaching you perfect pitch.”

“So now it’s my fault you didn’t teach me anything before this?” Neku retorted automatically before remembering the more pressing concern. “Maya!” He hurried over to her side and crouched. The singer’s clothes were soaked in blood, and the position of her body was frightfully unnatural. “We have to help her, Josh. Isn’t there anything you can do?”

Before Joshua could respond, a soft pop sounded behind him, and they turned.

“Composer. Sakuraba.”

“S—Sh—Sh—Shades?! A—Aren’t you...”

“Erased?” Kitaniji Megumi, looking just as Neku remembered, adjusted his sunglasses. “I was, but through the Composer’s boundless love and compassion, I was allowed to Ascend to the Higher Planes. As part of Their unified Will, I now enforce their Laws on various jurisdictions. Sir.” He bowed to Joshua. “I cannot thank You enough.”

Neku stared at the two former Partners and felt awful for every time he’d ever called Joshua heartless on the former Conductor’s account. Of course Joshua wouldn’t be sad; Shades wasn’t even really gone! Even though he’d lost their bet, Joshua had given him exactly what he wanted, maintaining Shibuya and sending him to his ideal world, one in which everyone’s consciousness was united in harmony. He hadn’t even known. All this while, he’d been so wrong.

_I’m the worst... Josh, I’m sorry. I never knew. I never even asked. And all this time, I..._

“Hey! Boss?” Hanekoma Sanae ran up and skidded to a stop beside them, surprise written all over his face. “Hah, just as I’ve finally tracked down Megumi here, it turns out you don’t need him after all. Yo Phones! Hm? What’s this?”

Joshua turned to Neku and smiled to show he’d heard before returning his attention to the older man. “Megumi, perfect timing. You’re the only one of us who can freely leave Shibuya now.” He indicated Maya. “Do what you can for her and get her to Chiyoda fast. The last thing I need is to make an enemy of Yohan.”

“As You wish, Sir.” Megumi gently lifted Maya, and with a pop, they were gone in a flash of light.

“Hm?” Joshua tilted his head. “Looks like we’ve got company, Neku.”

As he spoke, a distortion appeared in the space before them, and a tall woman with shoulder-length dark blond hair wearing a white peacoat and ankle boots over a teal suede catsuit materialized from it. Most likely the Angel that broke into the Room of Reckoning, that almost killed Maya. The thought made Neku angry, and he balled his hands into fists. She smirked coldly, cerulean eyes immediately focusing on Joshua.

“Nowhere to run, Composer. Finally, I get to make you pay for my eye.”

_Eye? What, she had a third one somewhere?_

Joshua rubbed his chin, searching the sky as if it held the answers he sought, before finally meeting her gaze. “Hee hee~ I suppose you do have me cornered. But what’s this about an eye?”

The woman’s face darkened, and she snarled, “Audacious, Composer! You glanced my way and sent that pin straight at me!! Now you dare feign ignorance?!”

 _Pin?_ Neku thought of Yammer. “Wait, that was you?!”

“Oh, so your little boyfriend remembers!” In a flash, she was right in front of Joshua, sneering. “My turn.”

Her hand darted out, but Mr. H caught it, having suddenly moved to Joshua’s side as well.

“Ah-ah-ah, sister,” he sang. “Can’t let you do that.”

“Keep your paws out of this, Fallen Angel,” she snapped, swiping at him with her other hand as Joshua leaped back easily.

The Producer deflected the blow. “My turf, my call, ya dig? M’afraid the only way to the boss is through me.”

The blond Angel only screamed in frustration as they vanished into the Noise plane, and Neku hoped that Mr. H would make her pay for what she did to Maya.

“Ah, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to make an appearance, but it doesn’t look as if Eliza and Mirabelle will be in any condition to finish the job.”

_No. Please. Just...no._

Neku turned slowly at the sound of the soft voice he’d recognize anywhere to see a young boy with wavy black hair and bright green eyes behind rectangular spectacles walking towards them with his hands behind his back. It couldn’t be, but it was, in a white long-sleeved dress shirt with a black fitted vest over it and matching black knee-length pants over long white socks and black oxfords. A cravat the colour of his eyes gave the look a splash of colour. He smiled wistfully.

“It’s been a long time, Neku, hasn’t it?” he asked, coming to a stop just a few steps away.

Below, the street seemed to give way.

“What’s this? You have Angel friends too, dear? I certainly underestimated how much you get around.” Joshua’s teasing voice seemed to come from very far away.

“E—Enishi..?” was all Neku could manage, and it came out in a hoarse whisper. Too much. This was just too much. His heart may well have stopped for how frozen it felt in his chest.

“Enishi?” Joshua echoed. “Ah, so you’re the one he’s still hung up on.”

Enishi turned to the Composer, still smiling. “Kiryuu Yoshiya, was it not? Shibuya’s longest reigning Composer.” He held out a hand in greeting. “Cyril Enishi Benoit. Perhaps you remember me? I certainly haven’t forgotten you.”

Joshua chuckled, shaking the offered hand briefly before returning his hands to his pockets. “Now that I’m looking at you, why yes, I do recall our last meeting! It was one of my most enjoyable Games. The youngest Player ever to erase a Game Master, and Sayuri was one of our best. You even managed to get your Partner to cooperate. Most exceptional, I must say. Neku sure knows how to pick them!”

Cyril nodded. “Excellent. That simplifies things. As for Sho and I, we simply shared relevant interests.”

 _Sho? The Grim Heaper? Partner?_ It didn’t— He couldn’t— He clutched his head in his hands.

“Aww, you spoiled him! I think he still misses you~” Joshua sang cheerfully.

At that, the Angel laughed. “I’m afraid I prefer not being reduced to a math theorem. Speaking of which, how is he?”

“Inactive. He was going to pull a number on Neku here at a most inopportune time for me.” Joshua’s fingers ran through orange locks as he spoke. “Couldn’t have him spoiling our climax, could we, dear?”

That broke the stupor.

“WHY?!” Neku grabbed his best friend’s wrist from where he had fallen to his knees on the floor. The other didn’t resist. “Enishi, why?! Why are you doing this?! Why now?!” His fringe hid his face, but his tears fell freely to the asphalt. Four years. Four years of guilt, of thinking his best friend was gone forever because of him, because he’d wanted to show him the mural he’d discovered in Udagawa, and now...THIS. “Why, goddammit?!”

“You’ll have to forgive my dear, dear Partner,” Joshua murmured from beside him, a hand squeezing his shoulder in an attempt to comfort. “This is turning into Judgement Day for him, I’m afraid.”

“And you are as unsympathetic as always, Yoshiya,” Enishi snapped, kneeling to wrap his arms around Neku. “I’m sorry we had to meet again like this, Neku. I’d hoped to avoid this...for your sake.”

Neku could only bury his face in the other’s shoulder. “Answer me, Enishi. Say something, damn it,” he pleaded.

It wasn’t fair. All these years spent wishing that he hadn’t asked his best friend to meet him that day, that Enishi would come back, somehow, and tell him it was okay, that it wasn’t his fault, that they were still friends. And here he was, in the flesh, trying to kill Joshua. It just wasn’t fair. Every time he let himself care, it all went to hell from there. Enishi had been his only real friend at school, and when he’d died, he’d taken Neku’s world with him. Neku had always been a loner; it never mattered whether or not he’d had friends. It seemed silly how everyone around him would make and break their friendships on a whim. But Enishi... Enishi got him. On a level he didn’t think anyone would again until Joshua came along. It... It shouldn’t have to come down to this.

_Why... Why, why, WHYYYYYY?!_

The Angel sighed. “Do you know what it’s like Upstairs? Stagnant. All that talent, all that creativity They hone in people here, gone, wasted. You go there, Ascend as They so sweetly call it, expecting to stretch the limits of your Imagination, and instead of boundless inspiration, you lose everything. Everything! Your own thoughts, your own will, your own self. Every thought, every choice, every action...even if you are doing it of your own volition, you can’t be sure it wasn’t merely implanted in you as long you’re connected to the hive mind, that you aren’t simply a puppet of that being at the centre of it all.” Enishi tightened his embrace as he looked up to face the Composer. “Isn’t that right, Yoshiya? And you knew,” he continued bitterly. “That’s why you’ve held on to your throne all these decades and refused to Ascend. Your Producer told you, didn’t he? How he too broke his connection when he returned here? How seeing the unique individuality of Shibuya once more awakened Sanae to the realization that he was but a shade of his former self without the ability to expand his horizons through clashing with others? Isn’t that why he keeps telling people to do as much of that as possible while they’re here, going so far as to use command codes? Heh, you knew, and still you let the best and the brightest go there.”

“I don’t see how this is my fault,” Joshua replied coolly. “I gave every winner the same three choices. You’re the one who chose Ascension. And it can be fabulous...sometimes. Right, Megumi?”

With a pop, the former Conductor appeared in a flash of light before Joshua. “I have returned, Sir. The girl is safe.”

“You did well, Megumi, as always.”

“Thank You, Sir. As for you, traitor,” Shades said, turning to the other Angel. “We have been looking for you. This is the eighth city you have attacked. For your crimes, I owe you only destruction!”

Enishi didn’t move. “So you see, Neku, I really was gone, you know. For a time, I wasn’t even myself. It was worse than death, worse even than erasure. And he sent me there. YOU sent me there.”

“I’m sorry...” Neku whispered, feeling the strength drain from his body. It wasn’t okay. Of course it wasn’t okay. “I’m so sorry, Enishi. If only I hadn’t...”

“My, my...” Joshua interrupted. “You seem like such a pro at this guilt-tripping thing, even I feel a teensy bit bad...for Neku. But since you’ve piqued my interest with all this talk of the Higher Planes, pray tell how we fit in.”

“Do you like New York, Yoshiya?” Enishi asked, smiling. “I have Them to thank for sending me there as Producer. That was where I felt it, what I was missing through the unification of minds. I saw that instead of learning from our differences, we were homogenizing to the strongest will, retaining little of our former selves and losing our ability to progress. That is when I understood — there is only one way to bring all of creation to the next level: I’m going to break the hive mind.”

“Exciting!” Joshua enthused. Distantly, Neku thought he shouldn’t sound so cheery, shouldn’t encourage this madness that had gripped Enishi. “And to do that, you need power, lots of it, so you’re gathering it from the cities, hmm?”

“Well done. You are as sharp as they come, Yoshiya,” Cyril murmured appreciatively, rising to his feet and pulling Neku up with him to stand between him and the other two. “I see now why Jude always spoke so highly of you.”

Joshua stiffened. “Jude? Jude Ascott?”

Neku couldn’t choke back his sob. _No. NO, NO, NO..._

“The same. And I see you’ve already realized, sharp as you are, but I may as well make it obvious. Yes, New York was the first city I took. And I couldn’t bear to send a friend to the hell I’d only just escaped from, so I did the only other thing I could: I erased him.”

“E—Erased..?” Neku gasped, barely audible. He could barely even breathe. This... This wasn’t— His best friend had always been so kind. “How could you?” he choked out. Enishi would never— He’d never just...erase a friend in cold blood! “What happened to you, Enishi? You never used to be like this!”

Cyril’s smile turned sad as he spun his old friend around to wrap his arms around Neku from behind. “Do you remember the Game, Neku? I’m sure you can’t forget. You played thrice, after all.” He tightened his embrace and stepped back, pulling Neku with him. “See, that’s where I learned: sometimes, you just have to do what's necessary; sometimes, there are no easy choices. If it’s either me or the other guy, I have to defend myself, don’t I? And between a living hell and oblivion, I know which one I’d choose, so I gave dear Jude the same.”

Too numb to do anything but let Enishi drag him along with surprising strength, Neku barely registered Joshua and Shades following them, taking a step forward for every step they took backward. Madness. This was madness.

“I will not let these streets I know and love fall into your tainted hands, Cyril,” Megumi warned, poised to attack.

“Now, now,” Cyril replied, an iridescent knife materializing in his hand to press to Neku’s ribs. “No need to get so hostile. You do know what this does?” He continued to back away down Cat Street, dragging an unresisting Neku with him. “See, I’ve been observing you, Yoshiya, and I am certain you wouldn’t want his Soul completely dispersed to the ether.”

“Don’t be silly,” the Composer chided derisively, but the uncertainty in his voice made Neku look up, look at him, at the hand he held out to restrain Megumi. Neku had never heard Joshua sound so unsure. “He’s been your friend longer than I’ve known him.”

Behind him, he felt Enishi nod, his voice incredibly sad when he spoke. “Yes... I never wanted to hurt you, Neku, to get you involved. I never expected— Well, I suppose it’s all moot now, is it not? You should have stayed away.”

“You’re a monster,” Neku whispered. This was wrong. This was all wrong. 

“Is that an endearment, dear?” Joshua teased, but his usual playfulness was strained. “I remember you calling me that a lot too.”

Neku didn’t answer. This was all WRONG, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was all his fault. Enishi buried his face in his shoulder.

“That’s a horrid thing to call something you created, Neku,” he whispered hoarsely. “I missed you, you know... We could have been so much together. At least, that’s what I thought. But I saw you during my Game. You were better without me, Neku. You worked so much harder, drew more, were so much more creative. That was when you won your first art contest, was it not? That’s why I chose not to come back.”

 _W—What. The. HELL?!_ “G—Goddammit, Enishi!” Neku yelled, voice breaking as he wiped at his tears. “I— Do you know how hard it was for me?! All I could think about was how I’d killed you. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, could barely even function! I felt like crap, knowing it should have been me, but unable to even wish it had been because I was... I was afraid to die! I threw myself into the only thing I knew to take my mind off it, to keep from THINKING, damn it!”

“Then help me,” Enishi pleaded softly without missing a beat as they kept moving. “Help me help the worlds. Tell him to cede his throne.”

At that, Shades pointed a condescending finger at them, angrily declaring, “Egotists like you are not fit to judge the Will of the Higher Planes! Breaking the Hive Mind would only unleash chaos upon the worlds. Even after sharing in Our collective wisdom, here you are staging childish rebellion.” He turned to Joshua. “Composer, Sir. He is merely biding time. You cannot allow him to cross into Omotesando. We must stop him. No matter the cost.”

A sigh. “Busted, I suppose.” The sly smile was audible in Enishi’s velvety voice. “Not that Yoshiya didn’t know from the start. To be honest, I’m quite impressed. Tell me, how is it that people call you the most ruthless Composer in Japan?”

“They don’t know Yohan well enough,” Joshua answered, deadpan, expression unreadable as he continued to follow them, lilac eyes still trained on Neku. There was a long pause, and then, expectantly, “Well, Neku?”

Neku met that carefully blank gaze and wanted to run. No way out. Joshua couldn’t afford to cede his throne; it was either Ascension or erasure for that. Enishi was beyond reason. They had to do something before they reached Omotesando (that was in Minato, out of Joshua’s jurisdiction), but instead of attacking, Joshua was giving him a choice. Just like on the roof of Pork City mere days ago, looking prepared for any answer.

“I can’t,” he said desperately, shaking his head. “I can’t.” How could he? Once he chose, there would be no going back. But they had to do SOMETHING. Worlds were at stake. He turned to Shades. “No matter the cost, right?” he reminded sadly.

The older man’s mouth set into a grim line. “Time be still!”

The next thing Neku knew, the laser was searing through him.

“MEGUMI, NO!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Artwork by 494vikutini


	8. If I Had You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I realize it has been almost two years since I last updated, and I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you for your undying patience and support through all my efforts to get this chapter out. I read every review, every message, and I am so happy you've enjoyed this fic and stuck with me all this while. This is my fourth complete rewrite, not counting the many times I rewrote some scenes in it, so now that I've finally completed something I'm happy with, I've decided to post it before I change my mind and spend _another two years_ rewriting it AGAIN.
> 
> I sincerely hope it lives up to your expectations and that it was worth the wait. Let me know!

Joshua sat atop Ten-Four, his legs dangling over the roof as he gazed out over his city. Same streets, same buildings zigzagging across the sky. Down below, thousands of people milling about their daily lives who would never know how close they’d come to being obliterated twice. It was almost… sad.

Order had been restored to the affected cities, and for the moment, it seemed there was peace. Such a shame he couldn't see it.

There was a performance at A-East tonight though, a fashion show and concert. Neku’s friends were participating. Neku had been really excited about it. He wondered if he should go.

A pop sounded behind him. “Yo Boss. Is this really all right?”

Joshua smiled wistfully. The Music of Shibuya had never sounded so right. The first time, Neku fixed it. This time, he’d perfected it. Instead of answering Sanae, he teleported away.

There was still so much to be done.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Yo, Freshmeat.”

The green-eyed boy turned as they kept walking towards the Dead God’s Pad. “Yes, sister?”

Uzuki tried not to grimace. Work was fine —she liked work— but babysitting duty seriously frosted her cookies, and she’d never get used to this face. “You got all that?”

“Yes. Where’s Sho?”

“Math Man? I reckon he’s at the usual place.”

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll head to Pork City after we clock out then.”

Uzuki shrugged as they entered the Dead God’s Pad.

“'Sup with you, girl?” Kariya greeted cheerfully around a stick of bean paste as he shut a file. “How was training?”

Uzuki grimaced. “You owe me a bowl of ramen for this.”

“Pardon me, but am I dismissed?” the newcomer asked, just loud enough to be heard over the conversation.

“Oh, zing! I don’t get any love anymore.” Kariya complained airily. “Someplace to be?”

The boy hesitated before answering, “I’m supposed to meet Sho after I’m done.”

“Well then.” He waved his hands in a shooing motion. “Don’t let me keep you from your couple’s arts and crafts time.”

The other bowed once before hurrying off, and as soon as he was out of the River, Uzuki let out the scream of frustration she’d been holding in all day.

“I can’t believe the Composer! What the hell is he THINKING, letting this kid back into the Reapers?! The squirt’s even tried to ice HIM!!”

“Something way beyond the ken of mundane folks like you ‘n’ me, that’s for sure. Now take it down a notch before you pop a blood vessel.” He shoved the paperwork out of the way and rested his hip against the settee to close his eyes for a final check. Nothing seemed out of place. “So. How ‘bout that ramen?”

Uzuki fell in step beside him. “Yes. That you owe me.”

“Whoa there, cowgirl. You still haven’t bought me the one for the end of the last EC.”

“Hey! That’s not fair!!”

Some things never changed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Maya! The show’s starting in five!” one of the backstage crew members called.

“Gotcha! Would you look at these threads, Ruka?” Maya turned to the keyboardist beside her. “I can’t wait till they hit the stores!”

She was nervous. This was their first proper concert and Kamiya’s first show with them ever. They’d rehearsed and revised the repertoire so many times, but that only increased the pressure she felt.

This had to be good. Yohan believed.

So, in an effort to distract herself from her nerves, she was looking through all the outfits lined up for the show.

“Great idea to have us wear them too.”

There were three finalists for the design competition, and Ura Parade had a set from each designer. Each had a pretty different style, but that was perfect, and she liked them all.

Ruka took her by the shoulders. “It’s going to be great, Maya.” He had always been very good at seeing right through her. “Like you keep saying, have a little faith. This is just another show. Just do what you’ve always done, and people are going to love you.”

“Us,” she corrected, flicking at the lock of red hair he kept long like a rat’s tail. “Going to love _us_. We’re going to rock this stage.”

“Five minutes is a lot shorter than you think, guys,” came another voice from behind, and they turned. It was Karin, white electric violin in tow, her long black hair tied into a high ponytail. “Kamiya’s already waiting on the other side of the stage.”

They were starting with their most popular original, and since it had been written long before Kamiya joined, there were no drum parts, which meant he was free to help add some flare to their opening act. Maya nodded and led the way to the stage, smiling at Kamiya as she took her place. They’d gone for a good mix of originals and popular covers in the end. People liked songs they knew, and it wasn’t like Ura Parade had a huge fanbase just yet. Ruka made his way over to the other side to join their spiky-haired drummer, and her best friend waited by her side for the signal to start.

“We’ve got this,” she said, both for her sake and Karin’s, nodding at the guys too. “Tonight’s going to be amazing. This was worth fighting for.”

The stage lights dimmed, and Karin stepped out to open with an excerpt from The Devil’s Trill. As she started playing, the crowd slowly fell silent, and Maya was glad.

They’d caught attention. They could keep it. They had to.

 _I wish I could be in the audience tonight,_ Yohan piped up suddenly, the thoughts wistful.

 _Come now, you wrote half the songs and watched every dress rehearsal. You’re not missing anything,_ she assured her brother, glad for his support. Yohan’s presence always calmed her, made her feel like anything was possible. _I hope they’re out there watching though._

_They? As in Kiryuu and Sakuraba?_

_Yeah. Wherever they are, I want them to see me take their city by storm._ Ruka was out, which meant she and Kamiya were up in five seconds. No time for second thoughts now. It was all or nothing.

_You’ll make me proud, Maya. I know it._

_Yeah._ She steeled herself. Yohan believed. _I’ll save you a front row seat at Burokan._

She stepped out onto the stage.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A-East bustled with people, pulsed with music, equal parts of spectators drawn in by the fashion show, the Ura Parade concert and both. Maya was good, Joshua would give her that, and her bandmates were talented as well, but there was a Composer’s touch to their music that had everyone transfixed, so it felt a lot like listening to Yohan’s ideal of Chiyoda sometimes.

Maybe Maya was to Yohan what Neku had been to him — a proxy to give his vision life.

Yohan had been less than pleased at their last meeting, told him tersely that he was sowing the seeds of destruction for all the Grounds, but honestly, what was he supposed to do? Erasure was far too big a waste of talent.

You had to take risks to create true art. Maya understood.

New line-up, new songs, new styles at their first big concert, and “Will you catch me?” she sang, toeing the edge of the stage as the crowd screamed in the affirmative. “Will you catch me?” She turned as the music paused for dramatic effect. “I’m going to fall into your arms,” and she did just that, letting herself fall back into the audience without any further warning as the drums picked up the music. “And let you see the real me.” From the way her bandmates sighed in relief as the fans caught her readily, this probably wasn’t planned. “So run before the angels come. I’ll set you free…” Her voice rose perfectly over the cries of “I love you!!!” as she was lowered back onto her feet. “But you’ll forget me in the morning.” She ran back up to the stage as the violinist played her solo outro and thanked everyone as the drummer closed the song to mad cheering. They probably wouldn’t have any trouble going major.

It was too easy to find that familiar light, too natural to just slip into the RG and join the cheering crowd. No one even noticed he hadn’t been there mere seconds ago. “Fabulous, aren’t they?” he said conversationally to the boy beside him, raising his voice to be heard above the din.

Blue eyes glanced towards him. “Yeah, I can’t believe I’d never heard of them before.”

“Tsk tsk. Still don’t get out enough, dear. They’ve been hot on the club circuit for a while now.”

The boy turned to him as the MC introduced the next finalist, brows furrowed. “Do I know you?”

Joshua smirked, turning to face him fully. “Maybe. Is that a pick-up line?” He twirled a lock of silver hair around his finger. “Because it might be working.”

The other looked even more confused. “What the— Can’t you just give me a straight answer?”

The Composer chuckled, devious, stepping closer and leaning up. He never was very good at playing by the rules.

“Mm, but only because you’re my dear, dear Partner.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

__

_Megumi and Joshua moved as one as Neku fell and Cyril staggered backwards. Joshua caught Neku before he hit the asphalt, and Megumi lifted Cyril in a chokehold._

_“Silly Neku, you do realize this too is a choice,” he informed his former proxy as the other coughed, weakening._

_“I know.” Neku curled into him. “I’m sorry,” and it wasn’t particularly clear whom he was apologizing to._

_This was nothing like the last time, nothing like the Game. A gunshot to the head was quick. Erasure was a brief burst of static you knew was coming. Neku had never had to die a slow physical death like he was now, never had to taste the pain that grew fainter and fainter as he struggled to cling to the world he knew. It wasn’t fair, Neku would say, but then few things ever were._

_He held the boy close as the two Angels vanished. “I thought you didn’t plan on dying again.”_

_“Heh.” Neku wheezed, trembling in his arms. “I thought you didn’t lie for no reason.”_

_“Hmm? What’s this, now?” He carded his fingers through orange hair soothingly, took the pain away._

_Neku shook his head. “You said I wouldn’t die even if you win.” He let it rest on Joshua’s shoulder. “So? What now?”_

_“Oh, nothing major.” Joshua shrugged, but his touch was gentle. “We’ll have to see what the Laws say.”_

_Unexpectedly, Neku laughed, breathless, hand fisting over the gaping hole Megumi’s laser left in his chest. “Will you... play another Game with me?” And instead of sorrow, fear or anger, blue eyes only held peace. Once again, he’d clashed; he’d changed. He’d grown._

_Joshua covered the boy’s hand with his own, smiling wistfully. “Don’t be silly, Neku. Our third was your last, remember? And I can’t even collect your Entry Fee.”_

_At that, the other smiled back, closing his eyes. Brightly coloured lights glowed and swirled around them, coalescing into an iridescent pin when Joshua held his hand out just as a pop sounded behind him. He lay Neku’s still body on the ground gently before rising._

_“Back so soon, Megumi? I suppose you’re here as an Enforcer this time?”_

_Off to the side, there was a shrill scream followed by a loud burst of static, then the familiar approaching footsteps of his Producer. Sanae looked down at the former Player’s body, at once surprised and sad._

_“Phones was never supposed to be involved in this.”_

_Megumi inclined his head. “And if You had only obeyed the Laws, Composer, Sir, he never would have been.”_

_Joshua sighed theatrically, turning. “I’m hurt. Even you don’t believe our meeting again was a coincidence.”_

_“Even if it was, Your continued contact was not. The Higher Planes do not look kindly upon Sakuraba’s involvement in this incident, nor on Your previous transgressions, Sir.”_

_“You forget,” Sanae said, stepping forward, “that th—”_

_“What, Megumi, They’re going to do something about it?” Joshua smirked, a restraining hand on Sanae’s arm as he reverted to his true form._

_For a long time, his old Partner was silent, then “They CAN take Shibuya away from You.”_

_“And you’d like that, hm?” Joshua fastened the pin in his hand over his heart. It glowed brightly. “Surely you don’t think we’d give up without a fight.” He put his hands in his pockets. “You know me — I don’t fight nice. And I can hardly disappoint my public, now can I?”_

_Behind him, Sanae lifted Neku’s body. “I won’t allow it.”_

_There was a moment’s pause before the former Conductor said, “You’ve changed, Composer.” He looked down, adjusting his shades. “Bring the boy back without the forbidden knowledge, Sir. That is Their only condition.”_

_“Hee hee. I’ll think about it. Wouldn’t want him losing all of that progress, hm?”_

_Megumi bowed._

_“One last thing.”_

_The Enforcer looked up. The Composer was gazing at His former proxy, a hand on his chin, pensive._

_“Benoit was one of mine. Bring him back.”_

_“Composer, Sir, Y—”_

_“I have the right, Megumi,” he interjected in that tone that meant it wasn’t up for debate. “There is a balancing force for him here, and he has no further value to the Higher Planes.”_

_Megumi nodded once. “Very well. That is indeed Your judgement to make.” He vanished, switching Frequencies._

_“J, are you sure this is wise?” Sanae asked as they headed back towards Wildkat._

_Joshua laughed. “My, my… You too? Relax, Sanae. With this, we may solve not just one problem, but two.”_

~*~*~*~*~*~

Neku opened his eyes, breaking the kiss for air, but kept their foreheads pressed together. “What took you so long?”

Joshua giggled. “Oh, there were more pressing matters to attend to.”

“Oh, f—” Neku stepped away, throwing his hands up. _Kiss my ass, Josh,_ he wanted say, but the other would only have too much fun taking that literally. “Will you cut the crap? I was an idiot to think you’d give me a real answer the first time for a change.”

“Don't you think it's more fun with a little suspense?”

“No.” He frowned, looking like he was going to rage like he usually did, then sighed and shook his head. “Can you really keep breaking the rules like this, Josh?”

The Composer turned back to the stage where a group of dancers had come down the catwalk in various outfits from the current design team and taken up position on stage to wait for Ura Parade to start their next number.

“Hee hee. Who needs other people’s rules, right?”

“Josh, y—”

There was an explosion as all the lights went out, drowning out Neku’s words, then the music picked up, and the lights came back on as Ura Parade started covering a popular anime’s theme song. With the performance and the cheering, it was too noisy to talk, but to Joshua’s surprise, Neku took his hand, inviting telepathic contact.

_Well, well. This is new. What happened to your not wanting me to scan you?_

_You said it yourself: I can’t stop you. So? Are you going to answer my question or not?_

Joshua sighed, longsuffering. _Oh, fine, fine._ His former proxy was nothing if not persistent, and Neku always needed explanations. _Someone forgot to put on his good listener ears again. I’d rather destroy Shibuya than see it fall into the wrong hands, Neku. Did any of that sink in? In any case, I trust you’ll put up a fight if They try to take this city from me. And I’m sure you’ll do a bang-up job as always, dear._

There was no immediate response, but the boy’s thoughts were a swirl of worries. How charming.

It was more entertaining to pay attention to the concert while Neku sorted through his thoughts, as the band had moved on to another original. The dancers had changed into a new set of outfits, and Maya was dancing along with them as the whole band sang, “We’ve got no time, no time, no time.” They turned, and the dancers slid back to leave the vocalist up front centrestage. “To rein in the monster inside us~”

 _Make me your Conductor,_ Neku said finally.

Pale lilac eyes slid sideways. _Wow, why, that’s an unlikely conclusion. You’re just full of surprises, dear. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten I can’t pick just anyone._

The boy crossed his arms and turned to face him. _If the person you needed was a Reaper, you would have appointed him already._

Joshua couldn’t help laughing. _Very good, Neku! Oh, I’m so proud. Even so, what makes you think that person is you?_ He grinned as it seemed to finally occur to his former proxy that there was no proof that the boy was suitable for the position. _Besides, why the sudden interest? I thought you wanted to expand your world._

 _I can do that right here,_ Neku argued. He’d learned that the hard way.

 _There, there, dear. I never said you couldn’t._ The Composer turned with a gentle smile. _Live, Neku. You're ten years too young to stay in one city forever. We’ve got an eternity in this together, Mr. Escort. It’s such a very long time._

Neku just stared at him, gaping. He never thought he'd see the day Joshua acted his age for a change.

_Hee hee~ Your face is priceless._

_Who asked you? Wait, who are you, and what have you done with Joshua?_

Their eyes met, and there was that amused tenderness again.

_Aww, Neku, didn’t you say you wouldn’t let me change my mind?_

“Ugh, you ass,” he muttered, pulling the other into a tight hug. He wasn’t wasting any more time taking things for granted. Enjoy the moment, right? He’d found the best moments right here in Joshua’s world. Their world. He wouldn’t let them slip away. _I don’t share either._

Joshua chuckled, returning the embrace. Some glass feathers were worth keeping around.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“My… My Tin Pin Führer!” Yammer cried as he reached for the pin. “Y—You did it! You really did it!!” He held it up to look it over from every angle in the sunlight. “Dude! It looks as good as new!”

“WHOA! Awesome!” Shooter gaped at the fully repaired pin. “You totally fixed it! Mods and all!”

Joshua nodded with a smug smile. “As I promised.”

“Thank you so much!” Yammer bowed as low as he could. “I owe you a big one for this!”

“Hey, bro.” Shooter turned to Neku. “You slammin’ today?”

“Oh, going to indulge your fans, dear?”

“Naw.” Neku shook his head. Admittedly, the twinkle of mirth in lilac eyes wasn’t so annoying when it wasn’t at his expense. “We’ve got somewhere else to be.”

“WHAT!? Aww, bro… I wanted a REMATCH!”

“And I wanted to give the newly overhauled Tin Pin Führer a go,” Yammer added hopefully.

“What a shame.” Joshua shrugged, not looking the least bit chagrined. “We’re booked. Neku gets around.”

Neku shot his former Partner a glare. “Maybe next time.”

“Aww, no fun! Come by Stride again sometime, so we can play!”

“I’ll be waiting!”

They went inside as Neku and Joshua headed down towards the Scramble hand-in-hand, Neku stealing surreptitious glances at his former Partner every so often.

Finally, Joshua ran a hand through his hair, giggling coyly. “Something wrong, dear? I think I’m blushing already.”

“No, just… I still can’t believe you really fixed the kid’s pin.”

“Ouch, Neku,” Joshua replied, deadpan. “I keep my word… even to sixth-graders.”

Suddenly, instead of answering, Neku stopped and whirled. “W—wait, that’s—!” Letting go of Joshua’s hand, he ran towards Shibu-Q Heads. Only the usual throng of shoppers greeted him.

“Hmm?” Joshua appeared behind him, hands in his pockets, footsteps soundless on the asphalt. “Is there a problem?”

Neku stood on his tiptoes, scanning the crowd all the way to Udagawa. “Just now, I thought I saw…” Nothing. _No, i—it can’t be…_ He shook his head. “Never mind.”

“What, a friend of yours?”

 _Unless…_ He turned to the Composer. “Did… Did you bring them back? The Grim Heaper a—and…”

“Ahh, Cyril? So that's what this is all about. Oh, that’s right. You call him Enishi.”

Neku winced at the name. Once, his best friend had been his world. Now, the thought of him brought little but pain and guilt. After everything that had happened, Neku knew he shouldn’t miss him —it was all his fault; he didn’t even have the right— but if only… If only there was a way to do things over… Then maybe Enishi…

“I took away all their memories from after their Game, told them there were too many Reapers when they first joined, so I had to put them to sleep for a stint.” He rubbed his chin, thoughtful, as he stared out towards Udagawa. “They seem content in their own little world, don’t you think?”

Neku stared. Then he looked down, biting his lip. _But… why? After everything… After Jude… You didn’t— He doesn’t…_ “J—” He choked. He swallowed and tried again. “Josh, why?” Enishi had caused so much pain, destroyed so much. He didn’t… least of all from Joshua, whom he’d hurt the most.

The other shrugged carelessly. “I merely took back what was mine.”

Neku had never understood why Mr. H helped Joshua, why Shades held his former Partner in such high esteem. Sure, he’d decided long ago that Joshua should stay the Composer, but that’s because he knew Joshua, had plumbed the depths of the demigod’s cruelty. Like he’d said, better the devil he knew.

Maybe Shades was right, and they weren’t even on the same plane. He was only just beginning to grasp why Joshua did the things he did.

“Thank you,” he whispered, throwing his arms around the other. He’d expected Enishi’s erasure. He’d grieved; he’d pushed the memories and the guilt away. This… This was more than either one of them deserved. “Thank you.”

“Hee hee. I’m happy you’re happy.”

He’d called Joshua a lot of things in their acquaintance, some less kind than others, but right about now, he’d take them all back. “Promise you won’t take my memories again, Josh.”

“I’m hurt, Neku. I thought you said you trust me.”

Most of them, he amended, silencing a groan. Joshua was still an ass. “I do. But that’s why I want to remember."

He wanted to remember, for a change, the look on Joshua’s face when Shades had attacked that day, the tenderness in the other’s touch, what it was like to finally have a little faith. Something real.

"I’m not taking any chances with you.”

The Composer leaned into the embrace. “I also don’t make promises I can’t keep, dear.”

“J—”

“Shh…” Joshua pressed two fingers to his lips with a grin. “You’re going to be late.”

A snotty, devious, insufferably irritating ass. He leaned back to glare. “Don’t you dare.”

The other giggled. “Oh, cut me a little slack. It’s part of the job description… sometimes.”

“Rrgh… Fine.” They could have this fight another day. Neku stepped back, but didn’t let go. “Don’t think for a moment that this is over. Are you coming?”

“Hmm…” Joshua looked up at the sky, contemplating, as they resumed walking. “Oh, I suppose I could… for my dear, dear partner. No harm, I guess, since they don’t remember. Let’s spend some quality time.”

Blue eyes widened and blinked. “Wait, really?”

“Mm-hmm~ You’ll just owe me one.”

By Neku’s reckoning, that made them even, but he decided against remarking on it. Just in case the Composer changed his mind. They were the last to arrive at Hachiko again, only this time, they actually were a minute tardy.

“Hey guys.”

“Yo!” Beat returned the greeting cheerfully. “Hey, it’s dat prissy kid you was with! So you finally found him, eh?”

“Neku!” Shiki turned, clasping her hands. “That’s great! You don’t have to wait anymore.”

“Heh heh, everything comes to him who waits,” Rhyme added nodding. “I’m glad all that hanging out here paid off!”

“I—I don’t—”

“I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced,” Joshua interrupted with a smirk. “The name’s Kiryuu Yoshiya, but since my dear, dear partner calls me Joshua, I suppose you can too.”

Eri raised an eyebrow, but only said, “Well, I’m Eri, and this is my best friend, Shiki. That’s Beat and his sister, Rhyme. It’s good to finally meet you. Neku’s been hung up on you for as long as I’ve known him.”

“W—what?!” Neku spluttered. “H—hey! That’s not—”

“How could you, Neku?” Joshua whined, doing his best to sound hurt as he shifted closer, into Neku’s personal space, and wound his arms around Neku’s waist. “After all the promises you whispered to me last night…”

“Whoa ho ho!” Beat held his hands up, stepping back. “You guys are... Like, you ain't…”

“Ahh! Then you two are—!” Shiki gasped. “Ah, no, no!” She waved her hands in front of her. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m just surprised! I had no idea.” She looked positively delighted. “Hee hee! Neku! You should’ve told me sooner!”

“Yeah, man.” Beat punched Neku lightly in the shoulder with a nod, recovering from his shock. “We cool.”

Neku turned away, scratching his head awkwardly as the other two nodded in agreement. “Uh… thanks, guys.” He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but he had to admit hearing that was comforting.

“Well, in the spirit of surprises…” Eri slowly held a letter up for them to see. “Guess who’s been signed to a collab with D+B next year!” Her voice rose to a squeal.

“That’s fantastic!” Rhyme clapped her hands. “See? Everything happens for a reason.”

Shiki and Eri came in second for the contest, but it looked like they’d impressed people regardless. D+B was their favourite brand. Neku was happy for them.

"Speaking of which, why didn’t you tell us your hip hop group was one of the dance teams, Rhyme?"

"Heh heh!” The youngest twirled, hands behind her back. “I wanted it to be a surprise!"

"Exciting!" Joshua enthused, letting go of Neku. “We should celebrate over barbecue. There’s this fabulous grill up in Udagawa, and they also have an excellent beef curry sauce.”

“Didchu say curry?” Beat perked up, pushing off on his deck. “I’m so down widdat, yo. C’mon, yo, le’s bounce!”

“Yay!” Rhyme cheered, skipping along behind her brother. “I love barbecue!”

“Oh, all right.” Eri put the letter back in her purse. “I suppose this is an occasion worth splurging on.”

“Well, I guess we’d better hurry then,” Shiki added, laughing as she jogged after her best friend.

Joshua sighed as he followed them at a more sedate pace. “I don’t do the whole sweating thing.”

Beside him, Neku shrugged. “Then don’t. It’s not like Beat actually knows how to get there.”

“Hee hee, and you say I’m devious, dear.”

Suddenly, Eri stopped short. “Wait a minute.” She whirled to face Neku, hands on her hips. “If you two are an item, then what about Yoko?”

“Yeah, Phones!” Beat came skating right back to glare. “What about Yoko-chan, yo?”

“I hope you let her down gently, Neku.” Shiki looked worried. “The poor girl was so into you.”

“Yup!” said Rhyme, waving her finger. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

 _C—crap!_ Neku opened his mouth and closed it again, trying to avoid the expectant stares. _W—what do I tell them?! Damn it, Josh! You and y—_

“Yoko?” Joshua interjected. “Oh, you mean this girl?” He held up his cellphone for them to see, and then everyone was speaking at once.

“Is that—?”

“Wait, you know her? Then—”

“Hang on, how do you have that picture?”

“Hold it, that phone!”

To Neku’s growing horror, Joshua giggled. “Hmm? Let me make it obvious.” He reached into his pocket. “Mm, I suppose this will serve.” He applied some tinted lip gloss, then looped his arms around Neku’s neck. “Hee hee~ Are you feeling all right, dear?”

 _Josh, just kill me. Kill me now._ Neku buried his face in his hands. _Just…_

 _After all the trouble I went to to bring you back? Hee hee, have some compassion, Neku._ He turned to the rest. “We connect. So~ deeply~” he quoted, pitching his voice just like he had that day. “Wow, I had no idea you guys cared about me so much! How charming. It touches my heart.”

For a moment, there was only stunned silence.

Then “OH. MY. GOD.” Eri gaped as realization hit.

“Ahh!” Rhyme gasped. “Then Miss Yoko was—”

“Omi—omi—” Shiki looked about to have a stroke. “Ohh! emm! gee!” She covered her mouth. “She— You really—?”

“W—w—wait. You mean Yoko-chan—!” Beat’s jaw dropped as it finally clicked.

“BWAAAH!!!”

**Author's Note:**

> It's been one hell of a ride, guys! Thank you for reading and for all the love you've sent my way. <3
> 
> I love feedback of any kind: praise, criticism, questions, observations...you name it, and I always will. Please leave some!


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